Police warn haulers of arrest for defying quarry ban ordered by Gwen

Police have warned small scale quarry haulers of arrest if they defy the prohibition imposed by Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia against their continue operation. /CDN File Photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Those who violate the quarry ban ordered by Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia will be arrested.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Eloveo Marquez, head of the Provincial Investigation, Detection and Management Branch (IDMB), said that they already sent word to the chiefs of the different police stations in Cebu province to conduct checkpoints and apprehend sand, gravel and limestone haulers.

“Sila man gud ang naa sa ground so sila atoa i-direct nga mag conduct og inspections,” Marquez said in an interview this morning, July 2.

(Policemen (who are assigned in the different police stations) are the ones on the ground that is why we directed them to conduct the inspections.)

On Monday, Garcia issued a memorandum directing the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (Penro) to stop processing the quarry permit applications for small-scale quarry operations, which are being supervised and whose permits are issued by the provincial government.

READ: Gwen orders halt on all small-scale quarry operations in Cebu

Marquez said quarry operations are common in Asturias, Balamban, Toledo and Tuburan in midwestern Cebu; Naga City in the south; and  Compostella and Consolacion towns in the north.

He said that they have also asked Penro to identify other quarry sites in Cebu province for their monitoring.

As of this writing, Marquez said that he still won’t be able to give feedback if apprehensions were made during the day. He said that they continue to await reports from the different police stations in Cebu province. /dcb