Ilocos Norte officials seize Dumalneg vice mayor’s heavy equipment

By Leilanie G. Adriano

Staff reporter

LAOAG CITY—Ilocos Norte government officials impounded at least 11 heavy equipment bearing the markings “FVEspiritu Builders” at the Solsona police station for alleged unsystematic quarrying along the Bagbag River in the eastern most part of the province. Local environment officials here said the seized equipment allegedly belongs to Dumalneg vice mayor Francis Espiritu.

The items include backhoes, payloaders, transit mixers and screens among others.

In a radio interview, Atty. Ferdinand Ignacio, Mr. Espiritu’s legal counsel insisted there is no illegal quarrying in the area. He stressed that a contractor is using

the said units for the ongoing PHP810 million flood control project in Solsona. The project commenced in 2017.

Through an executive session at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan on June 5, 2018, SP member Mariano “Nonong” V. Marcos II, chairperson of the committee on environment, said he called for a meeting to discuss in detail what is best way to counteract the continued theft of minerals in the province.

Following the confiscation of the equipment, SP member Vicentito “Toto” M. Lazo, who is a major sponsor of the quarry ordinance of Ilocos Norte said, “[W]e should start showing to the concerned stakeholders that the Ilocos Norte government means serious business in terms of quarrying.”

Estrella Sacro, a representative from the Environment and Natural Resources Office explained that residents living near the river when there are unsystematic quarrying activities face possible loss of lives, livelihood and property during heavy rains or typhoon.

“If quarrying is not done in the concept of responsible mining, it may harm the low-lying areas and it is also detrimental to natural habitat,” Ms. Sacro said saying there concerned officials must conduct a full-scale investigation on the matter.

Barely three weeks after the DENR suspended the quarry operations at the Bolo river in the first district of Ilocos Norte, it appears that illegal quarrying activities are still prevalent in Ilocos rivers.

“When we visited the Bagbag River, it is much to our surprise that there’s massive illegal quarrying activities,” said Mr. Marcos which led to the confiscation of Espiritu’s equipment.

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