In Talisay river sand, gravel hauling to get stricter fines

CEBU, Philippines - Stiffer penalty will be imposed on operators who will continue to illegally haul sand and gravel from Mananga River in Talisay City.

Talisay City Councilors Danilo Caballero and Antonio Bacaltos Jr. said the extraction of sand and gravel at Mananga riverbed is still rampant today, particularly during dry season.

Last August, Bacaltos requested Mayor Johnny V. de los Reyes to immediately designate a task force whose lone responsibility is to guard portion of Mananga River to ensure monitoring and apprehension of violators.

Under City Ordinance No. 2005-23, prohibiting the removal of sand and gravel from Mananga River, "any person, concessionaire, firm, entity, company or corporation who shall get, remove, or excavate sand, gravel, stones, or any kind of soil from the prohibited areas of the riverbed of Mananga River in Tabunok, Talisay shall be penalized with a fine of not more than P500 pesos but not less than P250 or an imprisonment of not less than one month but not more than three months or both."

But Caballero and Bacaltos said there is a need to impose stiffer penalties against illegal extraction of sand and gravel from the river that may cause severe damage on its natural sources.

Under the ordinance, a fine of P2,000 or an imprisonment of one to three months or both, at the discretion of the court,  will be imposed for first offense while a fine of P3,000 or an imprisonment of three to six months or both, at the discretion of the court. for second offense.

For the third offense, a violator will be fined P5,000 or an imprisonment of six months to one year or both at the discretion of the court.

The proceeds of the penalties shall be deposited in the city's treasury under a special account and shall be utilized to subsidize the expenses of Task Force Mananga in its monitoring and apprehension activities.

Bacaltos, who chairs the committee on agriculture and aquatic resources and the committee on environmental protection, wildlife ecology and natural resources management, said these criminal offenses are the primary reasons Mananga River has been steadily deteriorating and that this problem must be addressed before it becomes irreversible.

The Mananga River is an integral part of the Central Cebu River System, which also includes Combado-Lusaran River basin, Kotkot River basin and Coastal River basin.

A significant part of Mananga River is within the territorial boundary of the City of Talisay, thus maximum protection to safeguard the ecological welfare of the river is of utmost importance to the city's officials.  (FREEMAN)