LIFTING OF REGULATION. A quarried area along Panilahan River in Ormoc City in this June 16, 2020 photo. Three mayors in Leyte province are seeking the lifting of the directive of the Ormoc City government that bans the transport of quarry materials, saying that the regulation is against the President’s order to lower the prices of goods. (Photo courtesy of Ormoc City government)
TACLOBAN CITY – Three mayors in Leyte province are seeking the lifting of the directive of the Ormoc City government banning the transport of quarry materials lifted, saying the regulation is against the order of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to lower the prices of goods.
Mayors Ramon Oñate of Palompon, Bernandino Tacoy of Matag-ob and Edgardo Cordeño of Isabel town formally appealed to Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. to enforce Executive Order (EO) No. 41 of President Marcos and lift or revoke EO 17-A of Ormoc City.
A copy of their letter dated Oct. 1, 2023 was released to reporters Monday night.
EO 17-A, issued by then Ormoc Mayor and now Leyte fourth district Rep. Richard Gomez on Feb. 27, 2020, prohibits the transport of sand and gravel outside Ormoc City, except for use in government projects within the fourth legislative district.
Incumbent Mayor Lucy Torres-Gomez continues to enforce the directive, which also suspended the acceptance of all new applications and renewals for sand and gravel permits.
The three mayors claimed that EO 17-A is more restrictive "considering that it did not only impose fees upon entering the national highway of Ormoc City but prohibits any trucks in other towns loaded with sand and gravel from passing through Ormoc City. If found inside the city's jurisdiction, the local executive order authorizes the confiscation of the product and penalizes the operator."
The officials also asked Abalos to impose EO 41 of President Marcos issued on Sept. 25, 2023, that ordered local government units to suspend the collection of “pass-through fees” to ensure the efficient movement of goods across regions aligned with the strategies to revitalize local industries under the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028.
In a statement issued Monday night, Gomez said the directive of the President has nothing to do with EO 17-A, which he issued three years ago.
“EO 17-A did not impose fees on the use of national roads, so using EO 41 as a basis to question it is misplaced. EO 17-A only prohibited the exportation of sand and gravel materials from Ormoc City,” Gomez added.
He said the city government issued the directive after the DENR released a report on Jan. 23, 2020, showing rampant illegal extraction and transport of sand, gravel and quarry materials in Ormoc City.
The agency recommended coordination with Western and Central Visayas regions on the transport of the materials and a moratorium on the issuance of permits.
“EO 17-A was issued to address the urgent concerns in the DENR report, in the exercise of the authority by the city government to enforce measures for environmental protection, ecological balance, and environmental recovery and carry out the mandate under the Local Government Code that cities must enhance the right of the people to a balanced ecology,” he added.
Sand and gravel operators can operate in Ormoc from October to December and January to March, but extraction is banned during summer months to allow rivers to heal. (PNA)
