Due to its destructive impact on rivers and shorelines, Senator Raffy Tulfo has challenged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to halt black sand mining.
During the deliberations on the proposed Php 24.5 billion budget for DENR, the senator questioned why the department has not taken action against the widespread black sand mining.
In a report by the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Tulfo added that only the operators and the Chinese government benefit from the activity by disguising it as quarrying or dredging activities with permits from local government units.
While exporting minerals like black sand to China, the Chinese Coast Guard also drives local fishermen away from the West Philippine Sea, he stressed.
Meanwhile, Senator Cynthia Villar, Chair of the Senate Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Climate Change, stated that the DENR has committed to ending black sand mining.
Villar noted that the DENR will require assistance from the Department of the Interior and Local Government to enforce the order through local governments.
