Revoke quarry permits, DENR told

Marikina City Mayor Marcy Teodoro appealed to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to immediately revoke quarrying permits to prevent landslides and floodings.

In an interview, Teodoro said the suspension order of the DENR on quarrying operations is a welcome development but that what they want is a total stop to quarrying.

“The permits should be revoked. That’s what we asked when we talked with Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go. We, in Marikina, are the ones affected by the mismanagement of upstream communities,” the mayor said.

Teodoro added his city has been suffering from devastating flood in recent years.

“This is a backlash of the failure to take care of the environment,” he said.

Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu has ordered a stop to quarrying in two Rizal towns amid claims the activity is linked to flooding in nearby cities.

Cimatu urged residents and communities living in geohazard-prone areas to be vigilant and to take precautionary measures against possible landslides and flash floods during heavy downpour.

“Residents and communities near mountains and within low-lying areas should be proactive by taking appropriate measures to minimize, if not prevent, any adverse impact of calamities,” Cimatu said.

Cimatu made the call after heavy rains brought by southwest monsoon triggered flash floods in Metro Manila and landslides in nearby provinces last weekend, leaving at least three people dead and displacing over 50,000 residents.