DENR serves search warrant vs poultry farm in Palompon town

Tacloban City (CNN Philippines, January 22) — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Eastern Visayas and the Philippine National Police Leyte Provincial Office have executed a search warrant against the DBSN Farms Agriventures Corp. in Palompon, Leyte.

The search warrant alleged that the farm was built within the Palompon Wastershed Forest Reserve under Presidential Proclamation 212, which violates RA 11038 or the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 2018.

The search warrant was applied by the DENR Executive Regional Director Lormelyn Claudio and was issued by the executive branch of a Regional Trial Court on Jan. 16 with a 10-day validity period.

Palompon Mayor Ramon Oňate, owner of DBSN, however, maintained the corporation’s argument that the poultry farm is not located in a protected area and there is no protected area declared by the government in the municipality.

“This is not part of a protected area. With the advent of the internet, you can browse at the website of the DENR what are the list of protected areas in the whole country, in the region,” Oňate said.

“Is the municipality of Palompon or any part of the municipality of Palompon part of a protected area? No, you won’t see there, this is not a protected area,” she added.

The search warrant ordered to excavate around 30 sites on the property of DBSN farm for alleged dumping and burying of solid and hazardous waste.

At least three sites were dug up on Friday where DENR collected water and soil samples for examination in the presence of farm representatives and law enforcers.

On Sunday, the DENR returned to the farm, this time with personnel from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and excavated 30 sites stipulated in the court order.

Lawyers of DBSN said the DENR was able to excavate five sites specified under the search warrant and three other sites, which were not stated in the search warrant.

They added that nothing was found on the excavation site within the areas specified on the search warrant, but chicken manure, plastic bottles, and empty cans were found in areas outside the area cited on the search warrant.

The DENR-8 team, however, did not grant an interview after they conducted the excavation.

The DBSN also filed a motion last Jan. 19 to quash the search warrant and suppress any evidence obtained therein, claiming that there has been a misrepresentation by the DENR in the application for the search warrant at the RTC Tacloban.

The hearing of their motion is set on Monday, January 22.

Tacloban-based correspondent Wil Mark Amazona contributed to this story.