The Antique provincial government has already lifted the moratorium on the issuance of quarry permits so as to not derail the government infrastructure projects in the province.
Antique Governor Rhodora J. Cadiao, in an interview, said she has lifted Executive Order 49, which she issued last June 13 also upon the advice of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) regional offices, prior to the conduct of an investigation into the alleged illegal quarrying activities.
“I have issued Executive Order 81 last August 29 lifting the moratorium,” Cadiao said.
She said the moratorium has been lifted despite an ongoing investigation so as not to affect several infrastructure projects — like the PHP24 million DENR-funded Malandog River Rehabilitation Project in San Jose de Buenavista and the roads — that need sand and gravel.
“Whereas, it was observed that a number of quarry permits have either expired or about to expire, and presently the volume of sand and gravel is not sufficient to meet the current demand to support the ‘Build, Build, Build’ program of the government in the province of Antique, and the situation would have adverse and inimical consequences if the moratorium on granting quarry permits were not lifted…I do hereby lift the moratorium on the granting of quarry permits,” Cadiao cited in the new Executive Order 81.
Cadiao added that lifting the moratorium does not mean that other quarry permittees, who have the Ore Transport Permit (OTP), could already transport sand and gravel to Iloilo, Aklan, and other places in the country.
“Transporting sand and gravel outside of Antique is still not permitted though,” she said.
She said that currently, 15 of 81 quarry permittees have OTPs. The permits previously enabled them to transport sand and gravel outside of Antique.
The governor said out of the 15 OTP permittees, three are being investigated by the MGB and DENR for transporting outside of Antique more than 20 cubic meters of sand and gravel per truck despite paying tax for only about 10 cubic meters of sand and gravel per truckload.
“These permittees, by not paying the proper tax, have abused the kindness of the province,” Cadiao said.
The provincial government, through the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources (PENRO), was charging PHP25 per cubic meter of extracted sand and gravel for commercial use and PHP50 per cubic meter sand and gravel for industrial use.
She added that heavy truckloads also destroy the highways in Antique.PNA
