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BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
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ILOILO – Are there illegal sand and gravel quarries in this province? Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. wants to know.
Quarry permitee Ric Macalalag from Janiuay town claimed illegal quarrying was affecting the operation of legal quarry operators like him.
“This is a big concern, too, like illegal gambling. Illegal quarry operators are raking in a lot of money every day without paying the government the proper dues,” said Macalalag during Wednesday’s provincial quarry summit.
He urged the provincial government to stop the illegal extraction of sand and gravel mostly from the province’s rivers.
Illegal quarrying is reportedly rampant in the towns of Calinog, Janiuay, Cabatuan, and Alimodian.
“We legal quarry operators pay our taxes correctly. Our businesses are legitimate but the illegal operators are hurting our operations,” Macalalag lamented.
Governor Defensor vowed to look into the allegation. It was he who called for the quarry summit after raising the possibility of a crisis on sand and gravel filling materials.
He identified rivers in the towns of Mina, Pototan and Barotac Viejo – where most of the materials are taken – as having depleted resources.
“I want to find out if our permitees are over-extracting sand and gravel and if there are quarry operators that do not have permits,” said Defensor.
The Mines and Geosciences Bureau Region 6 warned that in three years’ time, there may not be enough sand and gravel in this province to meet the demands of the local construction industry.
Defensor hoped that from the summit, the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office could come up with actionable recommendations and programs to ensure the sustainability of the local quarry industry.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources is currently assessing the province’s river systems where sand and gravel quarrying are conducted.
One of the assessment’s goals is to identify areas where quarrying can still be done without harming the environment.
“We want to act now before it’s already too late,” said Defensor.
There are currently 51 quarry permitees in the province this year; there were 95 last year.
PENRO chief Atty. Arthuro Cangrejo appealed to local governments, and especially to barangay councils.
They should be “on the frontline” of efforts regulating quarry operations, he said./PN
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