July - November 2020
5 Basic Wildlife Law Enforcement (BWLE) capacity building trainings were conducted virtually under DENR-ADB/GEF Project “Combating Environmental Organized Crime in the Philippines in partnership with Tanggol Kalikasan on Regions 7, 13 and National Capital Region (NCR) from July to November 2020. The said trainings were participated by a total of 330 trainees from the DENR and partner government agencies of the said regions.
These partner agencies include the Bureau of Customs (BOC), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), Cebu Port Authority (CPA), Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Philippine National Police (PNP), PNP-Maritime Group (PNP-MG), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP). The BWLE trainings were conducted to equip and capacitate the DENR law enforcers and technical personnel from the various law enforcement officers stationed in the respective project sites.
The objectives of the trainings were to explain the elements of the prohibited acts under the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act, or R.A. 9147, and related laws; demonstrate capacity on wildlife identification and handling of commonly traded species in their respective regions; explain the different wildlife permits and identify items that indicate their authenticity; draft complaint affidavits and affidavits of key witnesses (apprehending officer, witness to the arrest/operations, photo-documenter and custodian officer); prepare and identify ways to secure the different documents as attachments to the affidavits; explain the qualities of an effective witness in court for the prosecution; explain the step-by-step process under wildlife law enforcement protocol in airports and seaports; and, identify and enumerate areas of coordination and cooperation in the enforcement of R.A. 9147.
