Saturday, November 08, 2008 Quarry operations upset residents By Jujemay G. Awit Sun.Star Staff Reporter
CONTINUED quarry operations in Barangay Danglag, Consolacion, Cebu did not just upset landowners but residents in the area as well.
Danglag Barangay Captain Edwin Alin said that his constituents often complain to him about the noise, dust and potholes caused by the constant hauling in Sitio Tabok (not the official name).
From 4 a.m. to 10 p.m., dump trucks take the 2.5-kilometer road leading to Sitio Tabok to haul boulders and soil from the land owned by the Sanchez brothers Angelus and Fortunato Jr.
Kilometers
The Sanchez brothers have since taken this matter to court against the Consolacion municipal officials.
Alin, though, has problems with the ingress and egress of private companies that did not have permits. He mentioned at least six private firms reportedly hauling in the area.
A Sun.Star Cebu news team visited the quarry site yesterday, at least three kilometers from the highway.
On the way, the team met at least six loaded dump trucks. Two of these were white. Green and blue dump trucks are said to be owned by the Municipal Government, while the white ones are said to be from private companies.
Government
However, at the front of the white trucks is a sign that says, “Government Project: Don’t Delay.” The plate numbers were green, while the colored trucks were all red-plated.
On the way out, the Sun.Star Cebu news team met three white dump trucks with the same sign heading towards the quarry site.
The haul of the Municipal Government is reportedly for the planned government center in Cansaga Bay.
The news team visited Mayor Avelino Gungob Sr.’s office to inquire about the project as well as the disputed municipal hauling, but he was not in. The vice mayor was also out.
Gungob and the Municipal Council were named respondents in a civil case for revocation of the deed of conditional donation, with prayer for temporary restraining order
and a writ of preliminary injunction with damages, filed by the Sanchez brothers.
Agreement
The brothers claimed they allowed the Municipal Government to haul leftover stockpiles, but no more quarrying and excavation. They alleged that this agreement, made in court, was not heeded.
Sun.Star noticed a bulldozer and a back hoe in action yesterday, but it could not be ascertained if those were privately owned or properties of the municipality.
Chief tanod Efren Nahuman said that early this year, Assistant Ombudsman for the Visayas Virginia Palanca-Santiago inspected the site along with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) – Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) 7 and the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (Penro).
Alin explained that Santiago summoned him to explain the “illegal hauling” happening in his barangay. He could not answer Santiago because he only assumed office last December.
He said that he started investigating the hauling but he could not really stop the haulers.
“Wala jud miy mahimo. Usahay mag-ocular inspection ang DENR, mahilum kadali pero mobalik ra sad (We can’t do anything about it. Sometimes when the DENR conducts an ocular inspection, haulers ease up but come back again),” Alin lamented.
Barangay officials like him and Councilor Henry Villamor take the heat from the people because of the potholes gouged out by the hauling trucks pass by the Danglag road.
Alin said that Gungob promised to fix the road once the municipality is done with the hauling activities.
Alin would not comment on the legal battle between the Municipality and the Sanchez brothers.
“That’s between them,” he said in Bisaya.
But he said, “Penro or DENR should hold the haulers until it can be proven that they have permits. The barangay cannot hold them because they do not want to be stopped because the nature of their business is expensive.”
Alin was even hoping that the Sun.Star Cebu news team was with policemen to arrest illegal haulers.
