CEBU CITY – A provincial board member here is questioning where the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) got the crushed dolomite rocks that will be used to fill a 500-meter stretch of the baywalk on Manila Bay.
“It feels like we were robbed because we didn’t know about this and there was no proper procedure,” said Cebu Provincial Board Member John Ismale Borgonia, chairman of the board’s Committee on Environment Conservation, which has been tasked to investigate the apparently unauthorized extraction of the minerals from the province.
“We have the autonomy. Even if it was undertaken by the government, they have to secure permits and ask the consent of the local government unit,” he added.
Borgonia said dolomite rocks can be found in the towns of Dalaguete and Alcoy.
“These are the towns that have issued with permits by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau. There is a machinery there that is being used to crush dolomite rocks and turn them into white sand product,” said Borgonia.
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Undersecretary for Solid Waste Management and Local Government Units Concerns Benny Antiporda had earlier said that the materials that will be used to fill a portion of the Manila Bay were crushed “dolomite boulders” from Cebu.
READ MORE: DENR: Not white sand but crushed ‘dolomite boulders’ will be used to cover 500-meter Manila baywalk
The project to fill the bay with “white sand” has come under fire from environment groups and, now, Cebu provincial officials.
Borgonia said “it was alarming” if it could be proven that the filling materials came from Cebu, and yet the province was not informed about it.
“As far as I know, there was no prior communication. We have not issued permits or we didn’t allow or give our consent to extract white sand. We we’re caught by surprise that it came from Cebu,” said Borgonia.