The massive dredging operations in Cagayan River have stopped since 2023, Malacañang said.
It added that there is also no dredging operation in the river at present.
"[B]ase po sa DENR regional executive director sa Cagayan Region, itong dredging po na ito ay napahinto na po (According to Cagayan Region's Department of Environment and Natural Resources regional executive director, this dredging has stopped)," Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a briefing on Tuesday, April 8.
"[A]t sinasabi rin po dito ay hindi naman na po—wala na pong operations sa ngayon (And it also says here that there is no ongoing operations now)," Castro added.
Castro cited a statement from the DENR, stating that the private sector engaged in the dredging operations ended due to "poor market condition of the dredged materials."
"According to the statement, and I quote, 'the private sector that engaged had been stopped operation or had stopped operations in 2023 pa po,' okay, 'allegedly due to poor market condition of the dredged materials'," Castro said.
"So, iyon po, matagal na po itong ipinahinto at matagal na po itong walang activity sa nasabing lugar about dredging po (So, that's it, it has long been stopped and there has been no activity on the said place about dredging)," she added.
In a statement on April 3, Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said the dredging project, carried out by Chinese companies and presented as a flood control measure, has disrupted marine life and hurt the livelihood of local fishers.
Due to the dredging operations, Pamalakaya said, the fish catch in the province has declined. The fisherfolk group blamed the policy of former president Rodrigo Duterte to back China-led dredging operations during his term.