BACOLOD City – Quarry operations in barangays Alangilan and Granada have ceased.
The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) issued the quarry operators with a stoppage order following the landslide incident in Naga City, Cebu on Sept. 20 which claimed 56 lives.
The deadly landslide came days after the country was hit by super typhoon “Ompong,” leaving more than 80 people killed in Luzon.
The MGB is an attached agency of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. It is concerned with the conservation, management and development of the country’s mineral resources, including those in reservations and lands of public domains.
Father Chris Gonzales, head of the Diocese of Bacolod’s Social Action Center, said the Bacolod quarry sites were ordered shut due to “over extraction,” citing a document provided to his office by the MGB.
But Gonzales said the closure of the quarry sites is only temporary.
Last week, a public consultation regarding the MGB order was conducted. Another consultation will be held today.
Quarry operations in Alangilan and Granada have been opposed by residents since 2010. The locals said mining activities destroy their surroundings.
The quarry operators were also accused of being noncompliant with the standards set by the MGB./PN
