The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) has halted dredging operations in Lobo, Batangas by a Filipino company-owned foreign dredging ship.
A team from the Maritime Group, Philippine Coast Guard, Batangas Police, and Lobo Municipal Environment and Natural Resources inspected the MV Emerald owned by the Seagate Engineering and Building Systems.
The vessel where nine Chinese crewmen complete with passports, visas, and seaman book was exposed to be operating illegally without clearance from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) or the Lobo municipal government to dredge the Lobo River.
Dondie Sarmiento, officer-in-charge of MGB IV-A Mining Environment and Safety Division said the Emerald has not yet started dredging operations when the MGB team went to Lobo Friday, March 29.
Sarmiento insisted on his bureau not issuing an ore transport permit or soil export permit to the Seagate.
Edwin Abrigonda, DPWH Batangas 2nd District head, confirmed the lack of dredging activity clearance from their office.
Meanwhile, it was revealed that Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) was issued to Emerald by Region IV’s Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) in May 2018 allowing the company to dredge the river.
However, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) regional executive director Maria Paz Luna clarified that Seagate applied for the ECC online and had to submit other permits within 60 days which the company clearly failed to complete.
Thee ECC’s were obtained by Seagate on July 6, 2018 allowing for desilting, dredging, and remediation of the Lobo River Estuary Foreshore, Lobo River Basin Periphery and in Barangays Olo-olo, Poblacion, Tayuman, Mabilog na Bundok, and Nagtaluntong.
According to Abrigonda, DPWH will not allow dredging in lobo as it can cause inconvenience and disruption to the construction of a 1.2-kilometer flood control dike in the area which, also according to DPWH Batangas 2nd District head, is expected to be completed this month.
