Barangay chief admits he can't stop illegal mining at watershed

CEBU, Philippines - The illegal extraction of sand and gravel within the Mananga Watershed has been a practice in Barangay Buot-Taup, Cebu City for a long time now but barangay captain Rechie Sibla admitted that they find a hard time solving the problem.

Though aware of his police power to stop the illegal activities in his barangay, Sibla told The FREEMAN that he cannot do it unless chiefs of other barangays that are within the Mananga Watershed support him.

“Dili ko magpasalig ana Day kay ang mga tawo ang una nakong makontra,” Sibla said, adding that the problem does not affect Buot-Taup but also other neighboring barangays where there are reports of illegal mining.

Among these barangays, according to him, are Bonbon in Cebu City and Jaclupan and Campo Cuatro in Talisay City.

Sibla said that the illegal mining in Buot-Taup has been there since his younger days but the previous barangay officials also failed to stop it.

   “Dugay naman na. Bata pa ‘ko. Apil sad gani ana ang ex-kapitan. Duda lagi nako nga pamulitika rana, kay nganung karon pa man nila gi-report nga sa una pa sige’g ingon ana,” Sibla said.

He was referring to former Buot-Taup captain, now barangay councilwoman Rosalina Callena, whom he accused of being involved in the illegal mining until now saying her family is collecting a toll fee of P50 per truck of quarried materials.

 Sibla however admitted that his barangay lacks the enforcement because even if he has warned these illegal miners before, still they go back to their illegal activities after few days of lying low.

 The Mines and Geosciences Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources said that the enforcement of mining laws for small-scale mining has already been devolved to the local government units.

All permits to quarry may now be applied in the city level through the city planning and development office after securing a barangay clearance. For industrial extraction, miners must also secure a clearance from the MGB which will check for overlapping of applications in case the area to quarry has been granted already to large-scale miners.

The MGB said that they have not issued any clearance from any barangay in Cebu City which confirms that the quarrying activities in the watershed are illegal aside from the fact that Mananga watershed is a protected landscape.  (FREEMAN NEWS)