Romeo Oyao admitted that he and others extract sand from the Mananga River in the mountain barangay of Bonbon for their livelihood.
“Extracting sand is our only means of livelihood. We’re not educated enough to have other jobs,” he said.
He earns P25 for every sack he gets. Oyao said he and the others don’t extract sand from the area near the Bonbon bridge.
His admission came as Vice Mayor Edgar Labella said the Cebu City government will stop the illegal sand extraction at the Mananga River.
“We have to stop this, I heard it has become rampant in the area. Sand extraction can affect the structural integrity of the Bonbon bridge as well,” said Labella, who inspected the area and saw more than 50 sacks of sand beside the river.
He said he will ask Bonbon barangay chairman Eduardo Cabriana to explain why he failed to stop the quarrying.
If he doesn’t respond, Labella said the city will send police to arrest the operators.
Labella said the Cebu City Mining Ordinance prohibits extracting sand or quarrying in rivers.
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