BALER, Aurora -- A member of the Dingalan Police Station is in hot water for allegedly letting a jeep loaded with contraband lumber escape from a provincial government-manned checkpoint here two weeks ago.

PO3 Ricardo Cariño is facing dismissal from the service for the near-escape of 1,488.9 board feet of illegally cut yakal and lawaan lumber loaded in an Isuzu XLT jeep which was intercepted by Army troops in Bgy. Tanauan, Dingalan.

The contraband worth P147,908 was seized by Army operatives and members of the provincial task force “Sagip Kalikasan” shortly after sneaking through the TF checkpoint in Bgy. Caragsacan. The team was led by Capt. Noel Wamil, commanding officer of the Army 56th Infantry Battalion’s Charlie Co.

At a meeting of the task force at the capitol, Gov. Bellaflor Angara-Castillo deplored the continued absence of policemen manning the checkpoint which triggered incidents, such as the near-escape of the contraband lumber.

Task Force Kalikasan reports said the police were actually there during the operation but Cariño reportedly told the TF members to just let the jeep pass, claiming the vehicle only contained coconuts.

Suspicious, the Army  gave chase and caught up with the driver of the jeep in Tanauan.

Angara-Castillo described the incident as shameful because it depicted the police as coddling illegal loggers.

“It’s downright embarassing isn’t it?” she asked.

She directed Insp. Erwin Fabroquez, Dingalan police chief, to have Cariño dismissed.

She told policemen not to be cowed by illegal loggers. She promised to reward policemen for good performance by even having them promoted.

The governor also directed Raul Batang, community officer of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in southern Aurora covering Dingalan and San Luis towns, not to spare anyone in the anti-illegal logging campaign.

In Bataan, DENR Region 3 Director Ricardo Calderon recently filed illegal logging charges against Bagac Mayor Rommel del Rosario after his house yielded 1,000 board feet of assorted lumber.