CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- The Provincial Government of Pampanga, through its Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office, moved to appeal the ban on quarry operations in the province after Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu ordered, on September 21, the temporary suspension of all quarrying activities in the country, following the deadly landslide in Naga City, Cebu.

The province is asking for an exemption from the order as the province may lose P25-million a day in overall revenue. The suspension would also be disruptive to Pampanga’s million peso quarry industry that supports around 8,000 people working in quarry, hauling, and other related operations.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) issued a memorandum through its Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) suspending all quarry operations in eight regions of the country including Central Luzon.

“In view of recent landslide incidents in Naga City, Cebu you are hereby directed to suspend all quarry operations in the above mentioned areas for fifteen days, pending the conduct of safety and geohazard assessment of the surrounding communities to prevent similar landslide incidents from happening,” MGB lawyer Wilfredo Moncano said in a memorandum addressed to regional MGB offices.

All quarry operations were suspended in Regions 1, 3, 4-A, 5, 7, 10, 11 and 13. Cimatu also ordered the MGB to review its geological hazard maps to determine if these still apply now.

The Provincial Government of Pampanga held an emergency meeting on Tuesday with DENR officials, mayors from municipalities with quarry operations, quarry operators, haulers and other stakeholders.

The meeting was presided by Governor Lilia Pineda and Vice-Governor Dennis Pineda.

Governor Pineda said that quarrying in Pampanga is mainly on riverbeds and not along mountain slopes or hills. She added that quarrying in Pampanga helps declog rivers of sand and lahar materials that have been deposited by the 1991 eruption and subsequent lahar flows from Mt. Pinatubo.

Governor Pineda said that the materials, if not removed can cause problems and damage bridges and other structures.

Pampanga Provincial Government Environment and Natural Resources Office (PGENRO) chief Engr. Art Punsalan said Pampanga quarry materials form part of majority supply of all quarry materials used in Manila and neighboring provinces.

Pampanga’s vibro sand is the leading preferred material for big and high-end constructions, according to Punsalan.

Many of the government’s Build Build Build projects Metro Manila and in Pampanga also depend on materials from the province’s quarry sites.

Punsalan said that they have already written to the DENR regarding the situation with an ardent prayer that the province be given exemption from the order.

As respect to the DENR order, the Provincial Government of Pampanga has suspended quarry operations as of Tuesday. The PGENRO, along with the regional MGB, will be conducting a survey of the remaining stockpiles in Pampanga while awaiting the response of the DENR.