Baltz Tribunalo
The province’s supply of gravel is depleting fast due to excessive extraction in rivers, the Capitol’s environment chief said yesterday.
“Frankly speaking, our supply of gravel in Cebu is depleting due to rampant illegal quarrying activities in areas like Magdugo, Toledo City. It’s possible that we’ll soon have to get sand and gravel from someplace else,” Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (Penro) chief Baltazar Tribunalo said yesterday.
While he doesn’t have the figures yet, Tribunalo said the rampant unregulated quarrying will also result in soil erosion in rivers and cause more flooding in low-lying areas.
He told reporters that they have stepped up their monitoring and enforcement after five of their personnel were found to be extorting money from quarrying operators.
Tribunalo said they recorded more than P1.4 million in fines imposed on violators last month, up from June’s number of P1.1 million.
The violations caught include illegal quarrying, having no delivery receipts, no permit, and overloading and obtaining gravel in restricted areas, Tribunalo said.
Tribunalo is confident that violations will be reduced this month due to stricter enforcement of the law.
He said they have a 24/7 mobile patrol group from north to south to watch out for violators.
“Manakop gyod ta north to south. Walay pili (We will apprehend violators. No exemptions),” he said.
Tribunalo called on the haulers and quarry operators to follow the laws and appealed to the mayors to double check their areas for illegal quarrying./USJ-R Intern Dafne Wenceslao