DENR seeks help against Mandaue river abuse

THE Mandaue City Environment and Natural Resources Office (MCENRO) is tapping the barangay officials’ help in preventing the illegal extraction of sand and gravel in the Butuanon River.

Placido Jerusalem, acting MCENRO chief, made the appeal yesterday after a part of the fence of the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu in barangay Canduman collapsed.

Jerusalem said the foundation of the fence near the bank of the Butuanon River weakened because of the illegal extraction of sand and gravel that led to soil erosion.

Jerusalem said they had sent people to patrol the area but they have not caught anybody yet.

“We keep on patrolling the area where the Butanon is situated. We have seen people extracting sand but we never caught one because they would flee the area when they see us approaching,” said

Jerusalem in Cebuano, who also cited the vastness of the area they had to patrol.

He said the best they did was confiscate the tools left behind by these people.

Jerusalem said the situation has been serious because some people have made illegal extraction of sand and gravel along the river their means of livelihood.

That’s the reason he asked the barangay officials’ help.

“Not necessarily magsige tag deploy. Instead magpahimangno ta sa mga barangay officials nga sila mismo mamadlong. Naa man gud sila diha, angayan sila ana nga role kay sila mismo makakita(We can’t necessarily keep deploying personnel to patrol the area. The barangay officials are there and we encourage them to stop those who do the illegal activities there,” Jerusalem said in Cebuano.