SC orders quarry stoppage at Angat Watershed
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The Supreme Court has issued a “Writ of Kalikasan,” ordering the Halrey Construction Inc. to stop quarrying activities at the Angat River-Bustos Dam Forest Reserve at Barangay Banaban in the town of Angat, Bulacan on 8 April 2026.
The SC has granted petitioner Narciso A. De Leon’s plea for a temporary environmental protection order (TEPO), ordering the construction company and others involved to immediately stop quarrying, excavation, earth extraction, or similar activities within the watershed area.
The write stated that, “Reports indicated that these activities have destroyed cultivated crops, vegetation, and fruit-bearing trees that serve as wildlife habitats.”
The Angat River is the primary source of water for the Angat Dam, which supplies about 90% of the potable water for Metro Manila and provides irrigation for thousands of hectares of farmland in Bulacan and Pampanga.
Governor Daniel Fernando issued a statement on 13 April, citing that he fully supports and values the order of the SC regarding the Writ of Kalikasan and the TEPO against the quarrying operations of Halrey Construction, Inc. in the Angat River–Bustos Dam Watershed.
He said that environmental protection is part of his administration’s The People’s Agenda 10, adding that any activities that damage the environment and the protected forest reserve will not be tolerated and ignored.
Fernando has ordered the Bulacan Environment and Natural Resources Office (BENRO) to immediately review all related activities in the said subject. He also stated that the Provincial Government will help in the investigation conducted by pertinent agencies.
“Bilang Gobernador, malinaw ang aking personal na paninindigan noon pa man—walang puwang sa Lalawigan ng Bulacan ang anumang iligal na aktibidad na sisira sa ating kalikasan at maglalagay sa panganib sa kapakanan ng ating mamamayan. Ang Angat River–Bustos Dam Watershed ay hindi lamang likas-yaman — ito ay tubig, buhay, kabuhayan at kinabukasan ng ating mga mamamayan,” he said.
