Cordova town council to sign quarry ban law

The intensive campaign done against the quarrying of minerals in the town of Cordova will be given teeth once the municipal council finally approves the ordinance banning mineral exploration especially Mactan stones.

Vice Mayor Danilo Sinugbuhan said the council passed on second reading the ordinance introduced by councilor Gregorio Jumao-as, chairman of the committee on tourism. Sinugbuhan said they are scheduled to approve the ordinance next week during the regular session of the municipal council.

He pointed out that they are set to sign the law on the quarrying ban after receiving numerous complaints from residents of the different barangays and various sectors on the possible effect of the exploration of mineral resources and or extraction of Mactan stones that Kimhee Realty Corporation has applied for.

He also cited the numerous incidents wherein residents involved in illegal quarrying used dynamite. Jumaos-as said that their action will affect the application of Kimhee that seeks to conduct a mineral product exploration in Cordova town.

Although, officials of the Mines and Geo-Sciences Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources assured that the application of Kimhee will be properly scrutinized, town officials announced the application will not get any favorable response from the municipal government. Jumao-as said Cordova is ideal for tourism and not for mining as what was stated in the application Kimhee filed.

Kimhee applied for an exploration permit in barangays Day-as and Buagsong to determine the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of limestone and other quarry materials that may be suitable for dimension stone, construction and other industrial uses.

The target areas for the proposed exploration work program is 709.7 hectares, but town officials claimed that they suspect it to be more than 700 hectares based on the map released by the DENR. - Jose P. Sollano