Money in quarrying

Ben Contreras

DURING the Emano administration, the talk was about illegal mining and how it made his henchmen filthy rich. Today, during Mayor Oscar Moreno’s administration, it’s illegal quarrying and how it is making his henchmen and allies equally rich if not, more.

I used to take part in the City Mining Regulatory Board’s weekly meetings on behalf of Ralph Abragan who represented the environmental group Sulog, that gained notoriety for being a no-nonsense advocate for the protection of our environment. It was responsible for the first Writ of Kalikasan ever issued in Mindanao.

Abragan worked without pay or allowance, used his own vehicle, paid for the fuel with his own money and in his own time, and was almost on call 24/7 by anyone who has environmental concerns.

Being with a local daily, Abragan saw it fit to have someone that would and could chronicle his activities and witness every conversation he would have with any interested party. That was how he worked to preserve his integrity. That was how our deep friendship developed and nourished until the present time.

In that short stint, we were able to confiscate two huge backhoes and encountered illegal activities perpetuated by people who have connections with politicians and by politicians themselves.

It was a short stint because, eventually, Abragan was removed from the CMRB as a result of a conspiracy involving the environmental group, government officials, a few from the media, and a few from the quarry operators. For that, I left Sulog.

There was a time when we questioned the income of the city government from this industry. Camiguin which is a lot smaller than Cagayan de Oro and has less activities in terms of infrastructure was posting a higher, much higher income than Cagayan de Oro (four million per annum something). That was then, 2013, the year Moreno sat as mayor. Today, you will be surprised with the revelation of Clenro.

I learned from Abragan that there was to be a committee hearing on Aug. 3, 2016 between Councilor Zaldy Ocon, committee chair on environment, and the operators. It brought me there quite early but it was worth the wait.

Ocon’s opening statement was a bit adversarial. He said he has been the subject of black propaganda, that he was accused on being on the take. He asked, “Naka-adto ba ko sukad sa inyong lugar aron mangayo?” or something like that.

The meeting was really about how the finance department is questioning the low income of the city, now being compared to Bukidnon which earns more than several folds Cagayan de Oro makes. Thus, city treasurer Glenn Banez wants to increase the revenues by increasing the collections from P25 per cubic meter to P200. This suggestion, while being discussed, opened a can of worms, some of which we already heard when we were still there. Apparently, the worms are still there until today.

Shocking as it is, Clenro reported its latest annual income at P9 million. The economic and mega-structure boom in the city, coupled with the ongoing mega-dike construction, would have made our income from this quarrying industry super big. But it didn’t. Why?

As revealed by the operators themselves, there are recycled delivery receipts, unreported deliveries, unfair and cut-throat competition and corruption in the city government and Clenro. These are the reasons why our income is a measly P9 million. But to increase the collections from P25 to P200 is to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.

Let the operators tell their tales without fear of reprisal and you get the true picture of the industry and the involvement of government officials and politicians.

Who now controls this industry? It’s a common knowledge no one among operators would dare reveal. But it is common knowledge who and who are protecting this big “who”.