A LAWMAKER here said on Tuesday that the 20th City Council seeks to pass the proposed quarrying ordinance before the month ends.
Councilor Temujin Ocampo, the proponent and committee on environment and natural resources chair, shared that the ordinance is currently reviewing the proposal before presenting it to the City Legal Office for legal advice.
According to Ocampo, the draft resolution fined violators with no more than P5,000 per cubic meter of the collection. Included in the proposed ordinance, all equipment and machinery used will be subject to confiscation, and operation will be ceased.
“Once passed, this will benefit the legal quarrying operators and the city government, as well as put a stop to the illegal operations,” he said.
He said this is in response to complaints his office received that a number of illegal operators have been exploiting the rivers. He however declined to provide the number.
The councilor added this cannot be allowed to continue as it affects the legal quarry operators who pay about P300,000 for permits and taxes.
He raised the alarm following last week when four individuals involved in quarrying activities in Catalunan Grande here were apprehended after failing to present legal documents to the authorities.
The individuals will face charges under Republic Act 7942 or the Philippine Mining Act of 1995. Possessions confiscated include two pieces of excavating heavy equipment.
The city government cannot have a hold on them due to the absence of a city ordinance, hence passing this measure will strengthen the existing national law, and promote fairness to legal quarry operators.
File Photo: Bing Gonzales
