Indiscriminate quarrying threatens survival of expensive fish

TUGUEGARAO CITY, Philippines – If concerned government agencies do not act at once, ludong, one of the country’s most expensive fishes found in seas off Cagayan province may soon go extinct. Natives of Lal-lo and Camalaniugan towns issued this warning as they noted that illegal quarrying activities along the Cagayan River persist despite the issuance by Malacañang of an executive order to deal with the problem. Malacañang issued the Executive Order 747 (EO 747) creating the Cagayan River Basin Project Management Office (PMO).on August 1 in response to an appeal by the local community and environment advocates. According to them, the illegal sand quarrying activities are still in operation, they also claimed that the dredged materials which are of better quality than those excavated from in-land rivers are being exported all the way to Taiwan via a number of barges. The rivers along the town of Lallo and Camalaniugan are situated at the mouth of the China Sea, possible back flow from the sea due to deeply silted river beds may cause salt water to inundate agricultural lands in the area. The order mandates the PMO in coordination with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) with technical staff coming from various concerned government agencies including the academe, to implement necessary policies and studies on the river basin The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in its dialogues with the affected residents and concerned organizations in the area reported that support has swelled to put a stop on the destructive quarrying allegedly being financed by Chinese nationals who were reportedly seen in the quarry areas. BFAR Regional Director Jovita Ayson said the quarrying activities threatens the survival not just of the ludong but also of two endemic and economically important bivalves locally known as ‘unnok’ (Delillia sp.) and ‘cabibi’ (Batissa violacea) due to the disturbance on their habitat. Ayson said the ludong, which commands P4,000 per kilogram in the market, is a migratory fish and its migration route can be affected since sand extractions are done in patches. Ayson echoed the concerns of the local church which initially voiced the dangers of the indiscriminate quarry operations along the river. “It is very important that these illegal activities be regulated because it’s true that it may pose risks to agriculture due to possible salt-water intrusion, I cannot allow this to happen, we need to carefully study its effects to avoid regret in the future,"" she said. Confirming the fears of concerned citizens, Dr. Adelaida Palma, a BFAR expert on river and inland water systems, revealed that the dredging operations might cause disturbance on the benthic organisms and their breeding grounds. Although the quarry operators claimed that they were awarded with Environmental Compliance Certificates by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, concerned government agencies noted that additional conditions stipulated in the certificates are not being complied with. These include the Acquisition of separate permitS from other offices such as labor, health and public workers departments, the BFAR, the Mines and Geo-Sciences Bureau, Bureau of Customs, Philippine Ports Authority, and the Coast Guard. An on-site investigation by a composite team revealed the presence of 10 individual permittees each with not more than five hectares concession area particularly at Camalaniugan town. The team, however, noticed that the operators were using heavy equipment used for large-scale operations. The team’s report revealed that there was lack of consultation, coordination and feasibility studies as required under the Cagayan Riverine Zone Development Plan prepared by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). In Lallo town, it was also revealed that the municipal government is the proponent for the dredging project along their area with Sanyo Philippines Mining Trade Ltd. Inc. A municipal official cited constant flooding in their area as reason for the dredging project, but with no funds available to pay for the services, the LGU was constrained to use the extracted sands as payment to the contractors. - GMANews.TV