CLOGGED Volcanic debris from Mt. Mayon clog a section of a river in Barangay Bogña in Legazpi City, causing water to top the spillway during the onslaught of Typhoon “Rolly” on Nov. 1. —MARK ALVIC ESPLANA
LEGAZPI CITY, Albay, Philippines — The suspension of quarrying activities on the slopes of Mayon Volcano will now cover five villages in this Albay provincial capital after Gov. Al Francis Bichara acted on a request by Mayor Noel Rosal.
Earlier, Bichara ordered the suspension of quarrying in Guinobatan town after lahar and boulders from Mayon buried houses in three villages and killed five residents during the onslaught of Typhoon “Rolly” (international name: Goni) on Nov. 1. Residents blamed sand quarrying around the volcano for the tragedy, raising the issue to President Duterte during his visit in Bicol region on Nov. 2.
On Saturday, Bichara issued Executive Order No. 35, halting quarrying in the Legazpi City villages of Mabinit, Bogña, Matanag, Buyuan and Padang on the southern flank of Mayon.
Rosal, in a letter to the governor last week, asked the provincial government to temporarily stop quarrying pending results of the investigation by a task force created by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
Rosal said residents in communities at the foot of Mayon had expressed fear for their lives and worry about damage to property as they were at risk from hazards of quarrying.
Task forceProvincial officials earlier said quarrying should not be entirely blamed for the deadly mudflow, with the disaster response chief saying siltation and heavy rain dumped by Rolly on Albay caused the lahar rampage.A DENR task force has started its assessment to determine the extent and impact of quarrying on river systems on the slopes of Mayon.
Guillermo Molina Jr., regional director of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, said the task force was given 15 days to complete its assessment, including risk mapping, and submit its recommendation to Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu.
But Bichara said stopping quarrying would disrupt the government’s major infrastructure programs, and rebuilding and rehabilitation projects after the typhoon. He said Albay was the major supplier of aggregates in the Bicol and parts of the Visayas.
Rolly, categorized as a supertyphoon when it pummeled Bicol, destroyed 292,728 houses in the region.
In Camarines Sur, Gov. Miguel Luis Villafuerte extended the suspension of classes in all levels for another week as restoration efforts continued.
Naga Mayor Nelson Legacion said Kindergarten to Grade 12 classes in the city would resume on Wednesday after consulting with city schools division superintendent, Mariano De Guzman.
Legacion said the decision on the resumption of classes for college and universities would be left to school administrators.
—Reports from Mar Arguelles and Rey Anthony Ostria