Resort operators and an environmental group have linked sand dredging operations in Zambales to worsening coastal erosion, damaged establishments and disruptions in nearby communities.

A resort in Barangay Liwliwa, San Felipe, Zambales, has been consecutively posting situations on social media, stating that several resorts have been damaged for two months following strong waves and gradual erosion reached areas near the shore.

“Gumuho unti-unti [ang resort] in the span of two months,” the resort told DAILY TRIBUNE through Messenger on Tuesday.

Erosion along the property began in the first week of July, which the resort said was caused by sand dredging operations.

“Sand dredging po. Noon, kahit ilang bagyo 'yung dumaan, kahit isang puno, wala natutumba,” the resort said.

“This year, almost twelve (12) na barko ang nagdedredge. Pag-alis ng 12 na barko, may kapalit na 12 ulit. Kaya sobrang bilis bumaba ng buhangin, kaya nagkaroon ng coastal erosion,” it added.

The resort also questioned why business owners were paying for armor rocks, sand and cement for protective structures while the provincial government provided equipment and machinery.

“Government project iyan, dapat funded din ng government. Pero mga resort owner ang bumibili ng mga armor rock, buhangin at semento,” it said.

Group seeks congressional inquiry

The Zambales Ecological Network called on the House of Representatives to investigate the isolation of Barangay Santa Fe in San Marcelino, which it said may be connected to dredging operations.

The group said the government should examine the effects of extracting sand from the Santo Tomas River estuary on the wider river system instead of treating the activity solely as river rehabilitation.

According to ZEN, erosion has damaged coastal communities and tourism establishments. Recent lahar-laden flooding also destroyed a bridge and isolated Santa Fe.

“[This event] raises another serious scientific question: could changes in the Santo Tomas sediment system be affecting where water and sediment go during extreme rainfall?” the group said.

ZEN cited studies by the United States Geological Survey after the 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption that documented large sediment movements, rapid river aggradation, channel blockages and changing flow paths within the Santo Tomas-Marella system.

It also cited warnings from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology that volcanic deposits remaining in the watershed could be remobilized by intense rainfall and generate lahars affecting downstream communities.

“This makes the government’s apparent failure to conduct a comprehensive sediment-budget and cumulative-impact assessment of massive estuarine dredging even more alarming,” ZEN said.

The group called for an independent scientific investigation and the suspension of large-scale sand extraction until its cumulative effects are established.

DENR rejects dredging claims

DENR Zambales Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer Marife Castillo said monitoring found no dredging operations near Sitio Tektek in Barangay Sindol, San Felipe, where erosion has also reportedly threatened homes.

“We have daily monitoring. As of today [Tuesday], nagmonitor, walang dredging vessels along that area,” Castillo told DAILY TRIBUNE during the opening of the 2026 ASEAN Heritage Parks Forum.

“Ang dredging vessels are only found sa Bucao, Botolan and Santo Tomas River draining Macolcol or Santo Nino, San Felipe, Zambales,” she added.

Castillo said dredging vessels were restricted to designated zones in river estuaries and deltas.

“They should confine the area. They cannot go around anywhere. Doon lang sila magdedredge,” she said.

She said dredging had been suspended for about a month before operations resumed on Monday, 7 September.

“Meron kaming na-monitor pero within the dredging zone lang, confined sa Santo Tomas River and Bucao, Botolan,” Castillo said.

Castillo also denied reports that 17 Chinese dredging vessels were operating in San Felipe and Bucao.

“Wala pong Chinese dredging vessels sa San Felipe and Bucao,” she said.

She said the DENR could track through satellite monitoring the transport of dredged materials to Bulacan.

Asked whether environmental studies had been conducted before dredging was allowed, Castillo said the operations were governed by Department Administrative Order 2019-13.

“Definitely, [ang sand dredging] ay napag-aralan iyan because it is based on the Department of Administrative Order (DAO) 2019-13,” she said.

Castillo said an interagency team involving the DENR, Environmental Management Bureau, Mines and Geosciences Bureau, Department of Public Works and Highways and Philippine Coast Guard regulates and monitors the operations.

Dredging volumes questioned

ZEN also questioned the difference between the volume under the DPWH master dredging plan and Philippine Ports Authority records cited by the group.

The organization said the provincial government reported that 4.8 million cubic meters, equivalent to an estimated 7 million to 8 million metric tons, would be removed under the plan.

ZEN said PPA data showed that 57,847,561 metric tons of sand had been dredged from the Santo Tomas River mouth as of 31 July 2026.

The group called for the release of the project’s sediment budget, bathymetric surveys, sediment-transport modeling and cumulative-impact assessments.

It warned that continued extraction could contribute to coastal retreat, damaged infrastructure, declining fish harvests, saltwater intrusion and biodiversity loss.