Cebu City’s Cenro impounds five trucks hauling sand with no delivery receipts

Personnel of the Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources office have warned haulers about entering Cebu City without the proper papers. | Photo courtesy of Cenro

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources (Cenro) apprehended five trucks carrying sand in Barangays San Roque and Tinago in Cebu City for falsified or lacking delivery receipts (DR). 

Lawyer John Jigo Dacua, Cenro head, said that trucks carrying sand was required by the Department of Natural Resources and Natural Resources Office (DENR) to carry a DR to ensure that they were carrying sand from legal and registered quarries. 

This is one way to prevent illegal quarrying, which remains rampant in Cebu despite the strict regulation by the provincial government. 

In Cebu City, Dacua said they were regulating all trucks entering the city and they had started inspecting trucks at night to check these for DRs.

“Sa una buntag man to sila magdeliver mao na mabantayan ra namo dayon. Nya wise naman sila kay gabii na pud sila magdeliver, so niadjust sad mi,” said Dacua.

(Before, the trucks delivered in the morning, so we could easily track them. However, they wisely started delivering at night, so we adjusted as well.)

Dacua said that since July 2019, they already apprehended at least 25 trucks for the same violation. 

The trucks are impounded for 24 hours or until the owners pay the penalty of P1,000. 

He said they decided for impoundment because this would temporarily stop the operation of the violating haulers.

“Iimpound gyod nato aron maka feel gyod sila sa violation. (We need to impound the truck so they can feel the violation), said Dacua. 

He said haulers could be penalized not only for the lack of DR but also for open-dated DRs, or DRs with no date. 

He encouraged them to follow the law or face the consequences upon entering Cebu City. /dbs