ZAMBOANGA City Mayor Ma. Isabelle Climaco-Salazar ordered the City Legal Office (CLO) to investigate the illegal quarrying in the village of Patalon.
Salazar’s order came after she led an inspection to Sitio Pulang Lupa in the village of Patalon where she personally saw the destruction in the environment resulting from extensive quarrying activities.
She said the quarrying of sand and gravel in Patalon had gone beyond the area specified in the permit to quarry issued by City Hall.
She said it is illegal “because they encroached on the area outside what was granted in the permit from the City Government.”
Salazar said the destruction caused by illegal quarrying threatens the safety of the residents in the area, adding that the trees on the mountainside are almost uprooted and the water from the river exits through the narrow pathways.
Appropriate legal action will be initiated against the people involved in the illegal quarrying activities in Patalon, she added. (Bong Garcia)