DENR stops Lingayen black sand mining

DAGUPAN CITY—The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) has stopped black sand extraction in coastal villages in the Pangasinan capital of Lingayen after it issued a cease-and-desist order to the firm contracted by the provincial government and to Gov. Amado Espino Jr. on Jan. 26 and 30.

Sabangan village Council Member Vicente Oliquino, spokesperson of the Lingayen residents who were opposing the sand mining, said sand extraction and hauling by Xypher Builders stopped on Jan. 26.

He said some workers left the area but their equipment have yet to be removed.

Hills of extracted black sand in the village are ready for loading but Coast Guard personnel have started guarding a barge docked near Malimpuec village, which residents suspected would be used to ship out the black sand, Oliquino said.

In a letter on Jan. 26, Joel Salvador, Ilocos director of EMB, an agency under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, told Lorna Bulayog of Xypher Builders that the agency’s investigation showed that black sand extraction in Barangay Sabangan and its processing in Barangay Malimpuec were not covered by an environmental compliance certificate (ECC).

Salvador also wrote Espino, saying “activities for the purpose of developing a golf course area which is part of the ecotourism project of [Pangasinan],” should also be covered by an ECC.

“As proponent of the project, please be advised that your office should have secured the required ECC before the implementation of the project,” Salvador said.

On Jan. 16, a group of village officials and residents of Lingayen sued at the Office of the Ombudsman local and provincial officials and the firm involved in the black sand quarrying for allegedly violating environment and antigraft laws and the Local Government Code.

But Provincial Administrator Rafael Baraan, in a press conference on Monday, said the extraction of black sand from the coastal areas of Barangay Sabangan and part of Barangay Estanza was “incidental.”

“We went there to build a golf course and not to look for black sand,” he said

He said the planned golf course was one of the components of the ecotourism zone being developed in the 264-hectare provincial government property that spans four coastal villages facing the Lingayen Gulf.

Baraan also said the extraction has been cleared by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB).

He said the project’s critics may be referring to what he called “illegal and irresponsible” black sand mining in the coastal areas of La Union and Ilocos provinces.

He said MGB had confirmed that there are no pending applications for magnetite or black sand quarrying in Pangasinan while there are 15 pending applications in La Union, 57 in Ilocos Sur and 86 in Ilocos Norte.

Baraan said a Korean business conglomerate has agreed to invest in an industrial and recreational complex within the ecotourism zone.