Residents of Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur, protested on Wednesday, December 4, against Horizon Concrete Products Corporation’s permit renewal to continue its decades of excavation in parts of Pilan River in Barangay Zone II.
The company is set to renew its five-year Industrial Sand and Gravel (ISAG) permit from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on December 13.
However, the company is required to conduct a consultative meeting and obtain the approval of the involved barangays to proceed with the renewal.
The scheduled consultative meeting on Wednesday turned into a day of protest after barangay officials from Zone II, Zone IV, and Barangay Sinuron, which have jurisdiction over Pilan River, rallied behind the protesters and refused to approve the company’s quarry activity renewal.
The Barangay Captains, who had already petitioned against the quarry activity before the protest, explained their valid reasons for their firm refusal.
Zone II Punong Barangay Myla Garcia Arellano expressed sympathy for residents who are deprived of a clean water source due to the daily quarry activity of Horizon Concrete Products Corporation, a family business owned by former Sta. Cruz Mayor Jaime Lao.
Arellano also emphasized that Pilan River had been declared an ecotourism destination, which should be preserved at all costs.
Zone IV Punong Barangay Juniper Solamo shared the same sentiment as Arellano, claiming that the ongoing quarry activities have been contaminating the residents’ water source.
“Mga tao diri, nagreklamo na gyud kay wala na silay tubig mainom, unya kung manglaba, dili na pud nila magamit kay lubog naman pirmi ang tubig,” Solamo said.
Sinuron Punong Barangay Orlando Rivera, for his part, expressed sympathy with the Indigenous People (IP) of the area, composed of Bagobo Tagabawa.
Elder Council member of the Bagobo Tagabawa, Matanam Edmundo Q. Udal, strongly disagreed with the renewal, as it destroys their “market,” the fish-abundant river, where they hunt their food.
Cherry Casimero, a member of the Hugpong Farmers’ Riverside Association and a vendor at Cawa-Cawa River Resort, expressed concern that the quarry might soon affect their small source of income.
“Maguol lang mi basig abot sa panahon, maabot na diri amoang sapa ang pag-backhoe nila ug madaot na ang sapa, mulubog nas ang tubig ug basig delikado na sa mga maligo,” she said.
After hearing all the sentiments and complaints, Sta. Cruz Mayor Jose Nelson “Tata” Sala vowed to side with the people over the company.
Sala said they would further investigate the company’s activities and scrutinize their permits.
The Local Chief Executive claimed that the documents presented by Horizon Concrete Products Corporation were anomalous, as the initial permit submitted to the LGU had no date, followed by another permit with a date attached.
Horizon Concrete Products Corporation plant administrative officer Elsa Montecillo, in a separate interview, defended their operations, asserting that they have permits from the MGB.
“Adtoa nalang ninyo sa MGB sa Davao para makita ninyo kung illegal ba among gina buhat,” she said.
Montecillo’s document is the same permit that Sala showed to the local media.
