BRIEFER ON THE QUARRYING IN THE PHILIPPINES: LEGAL AND ILLEGAL PRACTICES;

NCURRENT SITUATION AND POSSIBLE SITUATION.

I. Current Situation:

Sand and gravel quarrying industry dominates the sector in terms of number of
establishments

The 2016 Annual Survey of Philippine Business and Industry (ASPBI) showed that there
were 219 establishments engaged in mining and quarrying in the formal sector of the
economy. Among industries, the aforementioned activity recorded the highest number
of establishments with 61 or 27.9 percent.

With the Build, Build, Build Policy of the Duterte Adminstartion, The quarrying industry
remains a vital component of the economy. Quarrying activities in the country
comprises extractive activities for building materials such as limestone for cement
manufacturing, as well as gravel and sand, known as aggregates.

There are two modes of quarrying: mountain and river. Both of these bring devastating
environmental effects that are detrimental in the long run.1

II. Legal and Illegal practices

Small-scale mining plays a pivotal role in alleviating poverty in the developing countries,
such as the Philippines. Though this important socio-economic contribution makes small-
scale mining an indispensable economic activity, it is detrimental to our people
because most of these are low-tech and employ poorly trained uneducated people.2

In the case of Palawan, where river quarrying is prominent, there is a large presence of
illegal operators who comprises 1/3 of the total number of operators and owns 2/3 of
the produce of the total quarrying in the province.

The most disturbing of the aforementioned operations is that they are virtually
indestructible, untouchable and unstoppable in the conduct of the said nefarious
activities. Illegal operators were caught and their equipment impounded. However, the
penalty for their transgression is measly and they could almost easily reacquire their
equipment because the fines were cheap. Moreover, these operators were not
brought to court and prosecuted. Key informants asserted that the authorities have not
yet successfully prosecuted a single illegal operator in Palawan or anywhere in Region
IV.

1
https://dirp4.pids.gov.ph/ris/pdf/pidspn0105.pdf
2
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/229926171_Small-scale_Mining_and_its_Socio-
economic_Impact_in_Developing_Countries
 III. IMPACTS

A. Environmental:

Mountain quarrying results in the scraping of the upland topsoil and vegetation,
particularly of trees and the destruction of the aesthetic value of the quarried area. This
type of quarrying also contributes to the continuous decimation of our forests aside
from logging and illegal loggings were we had lost close to 97 percent of our original
forest. 3

River Quarrying leads to the uneven deepening of the riverbeds and the destruction of
the riverbanks. Both types of quarrying further cause soil erosion, pollution, siltation and
the flooding of downstream bodies and areas.

In the case of river quarrying in Palawan, illegal operators further degrade the situation
by mining more than what is sustainable as well as expanding their operations into
environmentally sensitive areas.

B. HEALTH:

Quarrying operations produce dusts along their transportation routes and noise
pollution in quarry sites, much to the detriment of the affected population. Many of the
affected residents residing in or near the vicinity of quarrying areas believe that their
health is compromised.4

C. SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS:

One of the gravest results of these types of mining is soil erosion. Soil erosion currently
aggravates the issue of food insecurity our country faces. When there is soil erosion, the
land loses its nutrients and therefore results to a low crop yield. Most of our provinces
has lost at least 50% of the topsoil and 70% of all croplands are vulnerable to erosion.
Typhoons sweep the country an average of 19 times a year. The topography is mainly
uplands with a slope equal to or greater than 18% and these areas make up 52% of
total land area. In the absence of forest cover and with frequent heavy typhoon rains,
soil erosion, mass wasting, and landslides are induced. The Naga Landslide in Cebu last
20185 is one horrifying example of the threat brought about by mountain quarrying.

The decimation of the forest is a tragedy for indigenous peoples. Ethnic groups become
forced to retreat into the interior and further impoverished. Government is doing little to

3
https://www.academia.edu/7515937/TUCP_-_Ocampo
4
https://dirp4.pids.gov.ph/ris/pdf/pidspn0105.pdf
5
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Naga,_Cebu_landslide
raise these people above their subsistence level. Some have left their lands, and the
sight of indigenous peoples begging in city streets is not uncommon. They have lost their
lands, and their culture has been degraded. With the destruction of indigenous
cultures, the nation is losing a treasure that should be nurtured to enrich national
cultural diversity.6

IV. SOLUTIONS

Much is achieved when the national government takes the initiative for environmental
improvement in the sector, such as the immediate response of DENR in the
municipalities of Rodriguez and San Mateo in Rizal.

If there are plans to open up new areas for quarrying, it is suggested that we should
utilize the potential available technology. The government must ensure that there
would be no indigenous people who will be displaced. Comprehensive satellite
mapping will surely help in properly identifying suitable areas for such enterprise by
securing that it will not compromise watersheds or areas where endemic and/or
critically-endangered species resides.

Although present at some different types of mining, quarrying has little to non-existent
Multisectoral Monitoring Teams (MMTs). These MMTs that are to be funded by
Monitoring Trust Funds (MTFs) put up by quarrying firms, singly or as a group, is a
welcome approach that will make monitoring financially sustainable.

We should also empower the local communities through a series of education about
the potential hazards of such enterprise and how could they help in keeping it
sustainable without much damage to them and to the environment. In such
endeavour, we must also ensure the cooperation of the Local Government Units by
ordering them, if persuasion is not sufficient, to institutionalize such community
participation.

Perhaps the most deterring solution to effectively control the rise of illegal operators and
the massive degradation of the surrounding environment is to impose higher fines and
stricter penalties that will effectively render them out of business; serving as a stark
warning to others. Meanwhile, we must also streamline the process of giving permits so
that duplication is eliminated and the time needed for applying is shortened. A major
reason for the existence of illegal operations is the high investment needed in securing
the permit, both in terms of the legitimate and illegitimate costs involved. This highlights
the urgency to further decrease the length of the process without compromising
efficiency.

6
https://essc.org.ph/content/lview/579/1/
What we need is a strong political will coming from the combined mutual interests of
the government along with the business sector to implement pertinent programs
necessary to safeguard the environment without compromising the livelihood of those
in this sector.