The illegal and unabated quarrying of sand and gravel has continued at the Okoy River, despite the moratorium imposed by the municipality of Sibulan, Oriental Negros.

Members of the Provincial Mining and Regulatory Board, however, blame the illegal extraction on the moratorium issued by the municipality.

The multipartite monitoring team was formed to strictly enforce environmental laws at the Okoy River.

PMRB chairman Roger Dios said the body will recommend the lifting of the moratorium to Gov. George Arnaiz, who is expected to make a decision as soon as possible. Sibulan Sangguniang Bayan Member Gil Genaro Concepcion said, his colleagues in the council have nowhere to go and every action they take is always taken against them by the other side.

Concepcion said he is personally against the moratorium because it has given rise to more illegal quarrying activities instead of regulating them.

ABC president Teodorico Diputado said at the PMRB meeting that residents turned their ire on him, believing that he has a hand in the issuance of the quarry permits, which he vehemently denied.

Meanwhile, in Bacong, a worse scenario is taking place.

The municipal councilor admitted that the illegal extraction is very rampant, and going on even under the very noses of barangay officials.

A total ban on the extraction of sand and gravel in private lands did not even stop the massive illegal extraction.

Councilor Albert Leong said barangay officials do not want to go into trouble with court litigations.

One of the holes in the quarry site is as big as the provincial capitol building, Leong said, adding that he favors strict regulation and legalization of the operation of quarries so such areas are identified and subjected to regulation, rather than wait for flashfloods to come.

A member of the monitoring team disclosed that they sometimes play cat and mouse with illegal sand and gravel extractors with the help of technology.*JG

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