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The Secretary of the Environment, Roy Cimatu, speaks with members of the media during his visit to the city of Alcoy in Cebu on Friday, September 25, 2020 to lead the inspection of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of dolomite extraction and processing companies. CDN digital photo | Morexette Marie B. Erram
Alcoy, Cebu – The Secretary of the Environment, Roy Cimatu, verbally ordered on Friday, September 25, 2020, the temporary suspension of all aspects of the operations of the two companies that extract and export dolomite here.
Cimatu told the media in a press interview that the decision was made in order to pave the way for his department’s investigation into the environmental impact of the quarries.
“We have to suspend all their operations as there is an ongoing investigation. Starting today (Friday), ”Cimatu said in a mix of English and Tagalog.
READ: 3.5 thousand metric tons of dolomite for the Manila Bay of Alcoy, Cebu
Cimatu visited this southeast Cebu city on Friday to lead the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) inspection of dolomite mining and processing companies.
The cabinet member has directed the Central Visayas Environmental Management Office (EMB-7) to collect water samples and conduct air monitoring around the port from the Philippine Mining Services Corporation (PMSC).
LIVE: The Secretary of the Central Visayas Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Roy Cimatu, leads the inspection of the site in Alcoy, Cebu, where the dolomite rocks used for the controversial Manila Bay rehabilitation project were obtained. PART 2 | via Morexette Marie Erram #CDNDigital
Posted by CDN Digital on Thursday, September 24, 2020
PMSC, based in Barangay Pugalo in Alcoy, processes and exports dolomite that they bought from Dolomite Mining Corporation (DMC), the only operator of dolomite quarries in the municipality.
Cimatu also said that the DENR will coordinate closely with the Provincial Office of the Environment and Natural Resources (Penro) to examine the extent of damage to Alcoy’s seabed, which, according to environmental groups, has suffered heavy sedimentation due to the movement of crushed dolomite rocks in the port of PMSC. .
Read: The fishermen of Alcoy continue their livelihoods amidst corals that suffer sedimentation
PMSC, for its part, said that it will abide by the instructions that come from the DENR.
Meanwhile, Engr. Antonio Castillo, Senior Manager of Corporate Planning at PMSC, said they will await the official order from DENR’s headquarters.
“However, as a regulatory body, we will comply with everything they tell us,” Castillo said in a mixture of English and Cebuano.
Crushed dolomite rocks from the Alcoy Mountains, a fifth-class municipality located approximately 101 kilometers southeast of Cebu City, were used for the artificial white sand component of the Manila Bay Rehabilitation Project.
/ bmjo
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