Quarry better than dredging, exec says

By LITO RULONA,
Correspondent

City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) Chief Edwin Dael said that it is more beneficial for barangay units if they insist on the immediate quarry operations in Cagayan River instead of the proposed dredging operations.

Dael made this statement following majority members of the city council passing and approval of a resolution informing President Rodrigo Duterte, the secretaries of the Department of Public Works and Highway and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) that the city government is ready to implement dredging operations in Cagayan River.

“Term ra man gyud kini kung buot sabton but mas particular ko sa quarry operations because quarry operators will pay local taxes and shares to the barangay unit affected by their operations,” he said.

He said it is not only Cagayan River which has been heavily silted and formation of sand bars along the waterways but also include other rivers like in Barangays Bugo, Agusan, Cugman, and Iponan.

“Mao nga pag-abot sab aha dali na kayo mosuka sa riverbank sa atong mga suba tungod sa kamabaw na kaayo. Kini lang sa Cagayan River nga kinahanglan gyud nga duna ta’y mga applikante,” he added.

In the city council, city councilor Zaldy Ocon, the city council chairman of the Committee on Environment urged other members of the city council to support his move to conduct an immediate dredging operation along the river.

He explained that the city government has already financed dredging operations somewhere in Barangay Bonbon during the past administration but was totally destroyed during Typhoon Sendong.

“Pagbaha balik gihapon. Sa quarry kuhaon ang balas and would be transferred to areas near a construction site. This quarry site should be strictly monitored by the city and barangay representatives during operations and collection of taxes,” he said.