THE DEPARTMENT of Environment and Natural Resources urged the Philippine National Police to dig deeper into illegal animal trade after a truck driver was caught transporting 21 frozen pangolins and 16 dead marine turtles in Puerto Princesa, the capital city of Palawan, last Saturday. In a statement on Tuesday, Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu said he welcomed the filing of charges against the detained driver who was found with the trafficked animals. “This is an outright disregard of our environmental laws, particularly our Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection law. There is no justification for the smuggling and killing of our wildlife species,” he added. The pangolin is one of the most trafficked animal in the Philippines. Bulk of the illegal trade of the animal is shipped to China where it is prized for its supposed medicinal properties. DENR-MIMAROPA Regional Director Henry A. Adornado, in the same statement, said pangolins and marine turtles are classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as endangered species. — Anna Gabriela A. Mogato

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