Dumping along Chico river hit; soil put in P15M flood control project

 

By Gina Dizon

BONTOC, MOUNTAIN PROVINCE- A certain  Mark Malabong faces charges for violating the Clean Water Act for  dumping huge volume of soil along the Chico River at sitio At-ato in this capital town.
    This after complainant  Grace Dayag who lives near the dumping site forwarded her complaint to the  regional office of the  department of  environment and natural resources )DENR) citing soil dumping acts of  Malabong towards the Chico River and illegal cutting of trees.
    Malabong has been excavating soil in a family lot located above the road and dumped towards the Chico River early this year.  
    The notice served on Malabong followed after findings of the inspection monitoring conducted by the technical staff of the environmental management bureau (EMB) of the Region and the Province here.
    Said EMB notice informed Malabong that dumping of extracted earth and soil boulders violated provisions of Section 27a of the Clean Water Act prohibiting the “ discharging, depositing or causing to be deposited material of any kind directly or indirectly into the water bodies or along the margins of any surface water, where, the same shall be liable to be washed into such surface water, either by tide action or by storm, floods or otherwise, which could cause water pollution or impede natural flow in the water body.”
    Said Bureau cited Malabong to explain why he should not be penalized in the amount of P10, 000 to not more than P200, 000 for every day of violation.
    A technical conference followed after with Malabong and EMB.
    Malabong was advised to  immediately stop any furthe3r development  and disposal of  earth materials at the  unauthorized soil/dumping site, near and along the water channel and prioritize the implementation of mitigating measures  to contain the earth materials; and no  silt  or waste materials to flow towards he  gully.
    As of press time, it was observed that soil waste materials excavated by Malabong since early this year was contained inside a flood control project currently under construction.
    A P15 million flood control project located on the dumping site at sitio At-ato  was awarded early this year by the mountain province district engineering office (MPDEO) to JBA Construction currently under implementation on its earth moving activities.
    In the same development, community environment and natural resources office (CENRO) head Jerry Goddi in an interview said he advised Dayag to furnish the office with affidavits and evidences of illegal cutting of trees in her claimed property.
In her complaint forwarded to MPDEO early this year, Dayag said there was no consultation with her or her family before the project started.
    MPDEO District Engineer Januario Garde in an interview presumed consultation was done before the awarding of the project February his year. Garde assumed office as the new DE February 2021.  
    Dayag also forwarded her complaint to the Bontoc municipal police station against Malabong citing alleged trespassing and destruction of the fence in her property.