A more stringent law is needed to curb illegal wildlife trade as culprits are not deterred by the punishments provided under Republic Act 9147 or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act of 2001, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said.
“RA 9147 should be amended to include a mandatory minimum jail term of six years for those found guilty of the criminal acts defined under the law,” Cimatu said.
“This is to make sure that convicted offenders will be able to serve their sentence and will not be eligible for probation,” the environment chief added.
The environment head made the statement after a task force under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) arrested two suspected illegal wildlife traders during an entrapment operation conducted in Tondo, Manila on July 10.
The Philippine Operations Group on Ivory and Illegal Wildlife Trade or Task Force POGI recovered 42 various species of threatened and endangered turtles with an estimated value of P550,000 from Eumir Rommel Raganit and Bruce Kenneth Tan, who are now facing charges for violation of RA 9147.
Among those recovered from the suspects were 11 heads of black pond turtle (Geoclemys hamiltonii), a species classified as “critically endangered” under DENR Administrative Order No. 2019-09 or the “Updated List of Threatened Philippine Fauna and their Categories.”
The black pond turtle is also listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora or CITES, which means that the species is threatened with extinction and is not allowed for commercial trade.
Task Force POGI is composed of wildlife enforcers from various agencies, including the Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) of the DENR and the Environmental Crime Division of the National Bureau of Investigation.
Dr. Rogelio Demelletes, BMB senior ecosystems specialist and Task Force POGI head, said the illegal wildlife trade has been showing no sign of slowing down even during the pandemic.