Rechanneling Measure Would Suspend SAG Permittees In Subang Daku Damaged By January 2011 Flashfloods
By Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.
Maasin City, Southern Leyte-The assessment of the Environment Officials in this province on the damage brought about by the January 2011 flashfloods in Subang Daku in Sogod town has reached an estimated cost of P18M,which would inevitably lead the provincial government to rechannel the Big River.
The continual heavy rains last January of the current year has caused series of flashfloods and landslides in some areas of the province, not only in Sogod but most particularly in St.Bernard where hundreds of families and thousands of individuals were affected and were temporarily sheltered in evacuation centers. Also hit by the flashfloods were Bontoc and San Francisco municipality in the Panaon Island.
The findings has led Governor Damian Mercado to suggest during the recent Provincial Mining Regulatory Board meeting “to suspend first all the existing permittees contracts in Subang Daku, where they have to extract sand and gravel materials, so that the plan for the rechanneling by the provincial government could proceed”.
SP Daisy Gumale, who attended the PMRB meeting, disclosed to her colleagues during the recent weekly session held at the provincial capitol, that part of the condition of the permits issued to extractors is to do the rechanneling in the Big River, “but none so far of the permittees have done their part”.
Gumale also claimed that what the provincial government has actually collected from them is only P900, 000.00 and it cannot even cover one tenth of the cost of damage to Subang Daku as a result of the recent flashfloods.
With this rationality, the youngest SP member has moved to pass a resolution requesting the Mines and Geoscience Bureau Regional Office in Tacloban to temporarily suspend the operations of all existing SAG permittees in the famous Big meandering River so that the rechanneling could be implemented the soonest possible time.
However, SP Teopisto Rojas,Jr. said he believed there’s already an approved contract with the contractors who would rechannel the area. “I think there’s no due process of law if we suspend without hearing from the permittees’ side who have violated”, he stressed.
Although Gumale has accepted Rojas statement, but another SP Albert Esclamado revealed to the august body that most of them (the permittees) did not follow the provisions of the permits, wherein they are supposed to extract only in specific areas. He said:”Everytime they are extracting the materials the volume is being recorded per cubic meter. That is why there’s no violation of the contract, even if we suspend their extraction permits for the moment. They can go back after the provincial government shall have finished the rechanneling.”
Moreover, SP Abelardo Almario,Chairman Committee on Laws, explained to all and sundry,saying,”If we make an action on this proposed resolution without being briefed on the details on what were the bases of their commendations to the Provincial Mining and Regulatory Board, there might be some business rights that might be violated on the suspension”.
For his part Gumale, for the information of Almario and her colleagues read the contents of the PMRB resolution to MGB: 1)The operation in Subang Daku is not properly undertaken by the permittees which defeat the purpose of the rechanneling; 2)The provincial government intends to fast track the implementation of the rechanneling program thru contracting to prevent eminent damage of lives and properties of the area caused by flooding; 3) In the exercise of its mandate to provide ample protection to both life, limbs and properties within the vicinity of Subang Daku(Big River) in its exercise of public welfare.”
It was also learned from Rojas that whenever there’s flashfloods and the sediments will cover the river, the floodwaters will overflow towards the nearby areas and the municipal officials will always request the provincial government to conduct a rechanneling in Subang Daku.
Despite of the facts and reasons mentioned by Gumale and Rojas, the latter still supported Almario’s decision to refer the PMRB’s resolution to the Committees on Environment and Laws for further study considering that the suspension might create a violation on the already approved contracts.
The Provincial Mining Regulatory Board meeting was also attended by Neone Asilom for scale mining; Ronald Salas, SAC/NGO representative; Florentino Cadavos of Mines and Geoscience Bureau Regional office and DENR Officer.
According to Gumale, Asilom was the only one among the invited permittees who has attended, which the permittees should have given their time, because it concerns with the program of rechanneling that will temporarily affect their works at the Big River.
(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)
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