Angono mayor denies quarrying causes local flooding

The local government of Angono, Rizal, has denied claims that the town, known as the art capital of the country, is being flooded due to quarry operations, despite its consistent opposition.

Angono Mayor Gerry Calderon was reacting to GMA 7's KMJS episode aired on 3 August which claimed quarry operations as the primary cause of flooding in Rizal province.

On the KMJS program, Jessica Soho interviewed one of the residents living nearby, who stated that they are experiencing inconvenience and fear for their safety due to alleged quarrying activity.

In a statement, the local government said that they are aware that these extractive activities may contribute to the siltation of the river and other waterways but stressed that there are mitigating measures and climate change adaptation initiatives in place, such as regular dredging and desiltation of the Angono River.

"Well, 'yung Angono ay naging tungtungan ng kanyang isyung baha. Pero po 'yung mga kasamang footage na binabaha hindi po Angono 'yun. Wala po kaming huling baha na umapaw ang ilog sa aming bayan simula nung Typhoon Ondoy. After Ondoy po wala na. Meron man pong pag-apaw 'yung shoreline lang," Calderon told members of the PaMaMariSan Rizal Press Corps during a courtesy call on Monday afternoon.

"Lagi po sa quarry ibibintang eh. Hindi nga po binabaha ang Angono dahil meron po kaming river rehabilitation program. Naghuhukay po kami ng ilog bago po 'yan lagyan ng retaining wall. Hindi po ito lalagyan ng retaining wall kung mababaw," the veteran local chief executive added.

The local government clarified that it has consistently opposed granting the two entities permits to operate mining and quarry operations.

Mining and quarrying are conducted within the 112-hectare properties of Concrete Aggregates Corporation, which also holds the permit and is operated by its concessionaire, Helix Aggregates Inc. Concrete Aggregates Corporation has been active since 1969 under the authority of various Philippine mining laws.

In their approved Final Mine Rehabilitation and Decommissioning Plan dated 11 July 2018 they have an active mining area of 81.53 hectares, and their Mining Production Sharing Agreements (MPSAs), which had expired on 15 June 2020, and 23 October 2021, were renewed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for another 25 years despite the local government's consistent opposition.

The local government has submitted a Sangguniang Bayan resolution and a series of letters addressed to DENR-MGB demanding the cancellation and non-renewal of their mining permit.

However, upon discussion with Concrete Aggregates Corporation's representative, they emphasized in their letter dated 11 May 2021, that their quarry activity will not exceed 10 years based on the rate of extraction done by their concessionaire.

This means that as of 2025, they will only operate for the next five years and are already implementing progressive rehabilitation.