Tuesday, January 29, 2008 Capitol hit for halting Gugu desilting operation By Marna H. Dagumboy
BACOLOR Mayor Romeo Dungca Jr. and scores of concerned citizens on Monday criticized the Pampanga Provincial Government for once again stopping the desilting operation at the Gugu Creek since two weeks ago.
Dungca said the stoppage would endanger this town's barangays and the City of San Fernando during the rainy season.
He said: "there is no desilting" operation at the Gugu Creek, adding that this should be explained by Governor Eddie Panlilio.
The mayor, who is fighting for the continuous desilting of Gugu, said the governor should not deceive the public by telling them that the lower and upper portions of the creek had been opened for desilting.
He even said that the heavy equipment being used to desilt the Gugu creek "does not function."
Concerned citizens also confirmed that there is no desilting at the Gugu Creek.
Dungca said the governor needs to identify the entity given the permit to undertake quarrying along the creek, be it a commercial contract or under gratuitous permit.
On the other hand, an employee of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (Penro) said Gugu has been "opened for desilting" since last December through Panlilio's executive order.
The Penro worker further said the Provincial Government is now mobilizing heavy equipment to start the desilting operations at the Gugu.
"Desilting is not a regular quarry operation although the extracted material may be disposed of commercially. It has strict requirements such as operating safely away from structures and extracting only from the middle of the river. The Capitol has several applicants and two approved permits. They are now mobilizing their heavy equipment to start the operations," the Penro employee said.
Earlier in January, the Provincial Government opened desilting at the lower and upper portions of the creek following several weeks of delay in the approval of permits to quarry in the creek that has become a source of anxiety among residents in nearby barangays.
The Provincial Government only referred to "private haulers" who would undertake the hauling of about 7,000 truckloads of sand from the creek, 3,000 truckloads of which are reportedly under a gratuitous permit.
Under a gratuitous permit, haulers are not obliged to pay quarry fees, which are pegged at P300 per truck, provided, however, that the hauled materials would not be used for commercial purposes.
Dungca earlier asked why the Provincial Government immediately approved the gratuitous permit to haul out sand from Gugu when there are other applications for similar permits, which have yet to be acted upon by Panlilio.
As for the 4,000 truckloads, which are not covered by the gratuitous permit, Dungca said the Bacolor Municipal Government should be notified on whom the permit was given.
"This is to guide the Municipal Government and concerned barangays in claiming their shares in the taxes that would be collected," he explained.
The mayor also stressed that he is not opposed to the desilting since it was the very same action they have been asking the Provincial Government since last year.
"The governor has answered the request of the people of Bacolor for safety from the waters of Gugu. But, the governor should also answer the questions I raised for the sake of the rights of the people of Pampanga in the taxes collected from the desilting," Dungca said.
