GINGOOG City Councilor Roy Aniscal, chairman of the Environment Committee, confirmed that recent activities in one of the city’s rivers are part of a dredging operation, not an illegal quarry.
The alleged illegal quarrying, involving heavy machinery, was reported to have taken place about two kilometers from the National Highway in Barangay Agay-ayan, northwest of the city.
A witness who discovered the operation immediately reported it to local authorities, believing it to be unauthorized.
Councilor Aniscal said that the incident had reached his office and initial investigations indicated the activities were part of a dredging project.
“The barangay requested the river be dredged to prevent potential flooding, similar to the 2017 incident that resulted in one fatality,” Aniscal explained.
Cenro Liza Requina of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Gingoog supported the councilor’s statement, saying that dredging aims to remove sediment that obstructs water flow, reducing flood risks.
Engineer Rene Guingguing, head of the Provincial Local Environment and Natural Resources Office (Plenro), pointed out that dredging operators must secure a permit from the Department of Public Works and Highways before commencing any activity.
Guingguing also mentioned that Cenro Gingoog and local barangays have the authority to arrest illegal operations.
As of press time, Plenro Misamis Oriental had not received a formal report from Cenro Gingoog regarding the alleged illegal quarry.
