by EVMWB
TACLOBAN CITY — At least four illegal quarry operators were apprehended last year, and three others were issued each a notice of violations by the Tacloban City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO).
Forester Jonathan Hijada of Tacloban’s CENRO told The Manila Times that the cases against the four arrested quarry operators are now with the Mines and Geosciences Bureau of the Department Environment and Natural Resources (MGB-DENR) Region 8.
He said the MGB-DENR 8 will be the one to file the criminal charges against the violators for theft of minerals in violation of Section 78 of Presidential Decree No.463. But Glenn Marcelo Noble, MGB-DENR 8 regional director, has not yet replied to the media on updates of these cases.
He identified the four apprehended violators as DSCP Construction, Maria Rexa Oledan, Egbert Asuncion, and AMTRAK Machineries, all operating in the northern barangay of this city. The trucks they used in the illegal quarry operations have been impounded at the City Hall compound.
The three who were issued with notices of violations, also for illegal quarrying, were Boy Collera of Barangay 104 Salvacion, Darrel Atillo of Brgy. 103-A Paglaum, and Jerry Serdoncillo of RPS Merchandising along Cong. Artemio Mate Avenue at Brgy. 43-A Quarry, all in Tacloban City.
The City ENRO bared that, currently, there are only two legitimate quarry operators in the city: City Councilor Edison R. Malaki, and businessman Romeo Villeza, both of whom are extracting quarry materials from the mountain of Barangay Paglaum of this city, and used by the DPWH’s infra projects. —with Reports NLA