Iloilo builds cases vs illegal quarrying suspects

By Mariela Angella Oladive

The Provincial Government Environment and Natural Resources Office has begun case build-up proceedings against six people allegedly linked to illegal quarry operations in Iloilo province.

In an interview with GMA Super Radyo Iloilo on May 14, PGENRO head Cesar Emmanuelle Buyco Jr. said the office is gathering documents and other evidence for the possible filing of charges against the people identified during the investigation.

The identities of the six people have not been disclosed pending the completion of the legal process.

Buyco said the investigation involves influential personalities, including alleged public officials and members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, making the process more challenging.

He also said their office had received threats, although he described such incidents as part of the realities faced by environmental law enforcers.

Despite the risks, Buyco said the office remains committed to carrying out its mandate.

He urged the public to cooperate and provide information that could strengthen evidence against those allegedly involved in illegal quarrying activities.

The case build-up follows intensified anti-illegal quarrying operations in the municipalities of Dueñas, Calinog, and Lambunao, which authorities identified as areas with reported quarrying activities.

On April 29, PGENRO conducted a joint full-blown operation with the Iloilo Police Provincial Office, Mines and Geosciences Bureau Region 6, and Special Weapons and Tactics units along the boundaries of the three municipalities.

Authorities failed to arrest any suspects after quarry operators reportedly fled before enforcement teams arrived.

Despite this, six abandoned backhoes were recovered in Barangay Cabudian in Dueñas and later placed under barangay custody.

Drone surveillance conducted before the operation reportedly confirmed ongoing quarrying activities in the area, raising suspicions that operators may have been tipped off before the raid.

Authorities estimated that the affected quarry site covered more than five hectares.

Illegal quarrying has long been a concern in Iloilo because of its environmental impact, including soil erosion, river degradation, and the destruction of natural ecosystems.

Unregulated extraction activities can also increase the risk of flooding and landslides, particularly in upland and riverside communities, while damaging agricultural areas and local water sources.