Illegal hauling imperils river bridge

People behind illegal hauling of sand and gravel in Mananga River in Talisay City have only themselves to blame if something bad happen because of nature's way of avenging such abuse through natural disasters.

City Councilor Antonio Bacaltos, chairman of the Committee on Natural Resources Management, warned that illegal extractions of sand and gravel, unless stopped immediately, will put the Mananga Bridge in grave danger.

"The rampant illegal quarry operations in the Mananga River have threatened the structural integrity of the bridge. This a serious concern," Bacaltos said, adding that during his ocular inspection, he personally noticed deep excavations near the bridge.

Last year, the City Council passed a resolution asking Mayor Johnny V. De los Reyes to immediately designate a task force whose lone responsibility is to guard portion of Mananga River to ensure monitoring and apprehension of violators.

City Ordinance No. 2005-23 supposedly prohibits the removal of sand and gravel from Mananga River by "any person, concessionaire, firm, entity, company or corporation."

Anyone who will get, remove, or excavate sand, gravel, stones, or any kind of soil from the prohibited areas of the riverbed of Mananga River in Tabunok, Talisay shall be penalized with a fine of not more than P500 but not less than P250 or an imprisonment of not less than one month but not more than three months or both.

Because of the very easy penalties, City Councilors Danilo Caballero and Bacaltos want to impose stiffer penalties against illegal extraction of sand and gravel from the river.

Under the ordinance, a fine of P2,000 or an imprisonment of one to three months or both, at the discretion of the court, will be imposed for first offense while a fine of P3,000 or an imprisonment of three to six months or both, at the discretion of the court will be imposed for second offense.

For the third offense, a violator will be fined P5,000 or an imprisonment of six months to one year or both at the discretion of the court.

The proceeds of the penalties shall be deposited in the city's treasury under a special account and shall be utilized to subsidize the expenses of Task Force Mananga in its monitoring and apprehension activities.

"There is a need to stop immediately the extractions of sand and gravel near the Mananga Bridge and the whole stretch of Mananga River outside the watershed to protect and ensure the safety of the existing bridge," Bacaltos added.

The Mananga River is an integral part of the Central Cebu River System, which also includes Combado-Lusaran River Basin, Kotkot River Basin and Coastal River basin.

An integral part of Mananga River is within the territorial boundary of Talisay City. —