The controversy on whether Samal Island will be subjected to as full-scale commercial quarrying erupted as a bribe-money allegation posted on a Facebook’s group of islanders has prodded a member of the City Council to file a libel case to one of the group’s account administrators.
City Councilor Michael Robledo wants that Facebook’s Samal Watch account administrator Gie-arr Requina Valdez be sued with libel with P2 million each of the 12 City Council members worth in civil damages or a total of P24 million.
Robredo accused Valdez of maligning City Council members “including the city mayor and the vice mayor” for posting on Facebook an allegation that they have received money from quarry operators in exchange of the permit to do commercial quarrying in the gravel-rich Barangay Tagbay in the island.
“There were insinuations that this Council received money… and we come into conclusion that this is maligning the reputation of the Council,” Robledo said in privilege speech during last week’s session.
The councilor read the post of Valdez, who on November 24 posted a screenshot of an unnamed Tagbay resident who alleged that there was “money involved” or “lagay” (bribe money) was being given by quarry operators wanting renewal of their permits.
The unnamed resident in the last part of his post cited that he admired Amit, whom he said was has been a subject of alleged backbiting by councilors, and an official who has not been receiving a share of intelligence fund.
Mindanao Sun Chronicle tried but failed yet to get the comments of Mayor Uy as well as of Valdez as of press time.
Vice Mayor Amit, who presided that session, clarified the issue with Robledo, saying that while public officials are subject to criticisms and supposed not to be onion-skinned, but the “gravity” of the issue if it maligns the City Council is “stepping beyond the line.”
Amit sent the Robledo’s motion the committee on laws, which the latter chaired, to make thorough study and recommendation.
The controversy relating the commercial quarrying erupted two weeks ago in the wake of the City Council’s approval of quarrying permits to two operators while Amit served as acting Mayor in view of the two-week personal vacation of Mayor Uy.
At that time the permits were approved, Councilor Guillermo Olden presided the sessions.
Amit while serving as acting mayor appeared on City Council’s session on Nov. 6 and asked the body to have a thorough debate before approving the quarrying permits to two of the four current quarry operators in Barangay Tagbay.
He asked the City Council for thorough debate before approving the measure in final reading of that session citing that the city legal counsel noted legal infirmities of local ordinances relating quarrying in the island and the non-observance of processes required in city and provincial regulations.
Amit said that he would not sign the City Council- approved resolution allowing commercial quarrying to two more operators while he was an acting mayor.
The vice mayor joint cited the joint inspection report of DENR Mines and Geosciences Bureau XI dated Aug. 31, 2017 which noted that the quarry operations might affect the freshwater supply in the area.
The report also called that the Environmental Compliance Certificate issued to different quarry permits should be reviewed and presented to the council for appropriate actions.
There are six permitees quarrying for business about 20 hectares in Barangay Tagbay, three of whom were seeking renewal of permits. The three renewing permitees are Jose T. del Fierro having 4.90-hectare quarry site, Ulticon Builders Inc having 4.07-hectare quarry, and Christian Fernandez having 2-hectare quarry, to which the DENR- MGB report singled out as “highly discouraged for renewal.”
The other permitees are Urbano H. Esguerra having 3-hectare quarry whose permit is on active status, and Arellano Espanto having 2-hectare quarry whose permit was already expired.
Councilor Robledo in earlier interview said that the island could not ban quarrying for its own supply of aggregates or else it might import these for the construction needs in the island and bear high costs of aggregate materials.
He said the leveled areas of the quarry sites could just be made as relocation sites of the city government.
Councilor Charles Ligan said that the controversy started with a “false report” from the city environment enforcers which reported that the quarry sites for renewal have a stream, triggering fear from barangay residents that potential water sources are threatened.
Ligan said that when some councilors made ocular inspection it turned out that there are only two small water wells in the area.
Ligan and Robledo tagged the city environment enforcers who made the “false report” as “not technical persons, drivers, not geologists”.
The “false report” had caused the barangay stir and controversy soon picked up by Amit, thus “politicizing the issue”, they said.
An old presidential proclamation accordingly allowed quarrying along the beach at the western side only from Babak to Kaputian districts and a provincial ordinance disallows extraction of materials within the distance of one kilometer from boundaries of reservoirs established for public water supply.
Moreover, City Zoning Ordinance 2009-150 disallows quarrying in at elevation of more than 300 meters above sea level and in identified recharge areas of aquifers.
The DENR-MGB XI joint report cited that based on cadastral map subdivision on April 1973 the quarries of the permitees are within alienable and disposable land except Jose del Fierro whose quarry is located in Forest Zone, but in the City Land Use Plan, the quarry areas in Barangay Tagbay had been categorized as agricultural and other areas without the forest zone. – Cha Monforte, Correspondent
