CLARK FREEPORT -- The Clark Development Corporation (CDC) Board of Directors and the Provincial Board of Pampanga has ordered for the temporary suspension of quarrying and desilting operations along the Sacobia River.
The order was issued during a joint meeting of the provincial board and the CDC Board of Directors last Saturday which was called by Governor Lilia Pineda.
The suspension of quarrying, which will start today, was scheduled for one week but it will be extendible on a week-to-week basis pending assessment of risks to environment and existing structures like bridges, spillways and others in Clark and its environs.
Another decision agreed during the meeting is the conduct of geological assessment to revalidate the studies made by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) in 1999 along the entire Sacobia river system.
Pineda said the decision of the two boards will give the Department of Environment of Natural Resources (DENR) particularly the MGB time to assess the viability of desilting Sacobia River.
A task force consisting of CDC, DENR-MGB, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and local government units will be formed to make necessary recommendations.
The governor said the move will also give Clark and provincial officials to resolve the differences between the Aeta groups involved in the quarry operations.
Pineda said the CDC and the provincial government will seek the guidance of the National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP) national office to determine and recognize the true representatives of the Aeta groups.
The governor said when the rightful leader is identified by the NCIP, the CDC could readily give the P14-million income intended for the Aetas representing the 20 percent revenues derived from the use of the ancestral domain in quarry operations.
Dizon, for his part, said there is a need to resolve the conflict between the Aeta groups in Mabalacat City regarding the entitlement of the vast ancestral domain utilized for quarry activities.
Dizon said there is also a need to ensure the sustainability of the quarry operations without putting at risk the whole economic zone.
He believed that the Sacobia subzone could produce more income when it is fully developed aside from quarrying activities.
It was learned that Mabalacat City is the second highest next to Porac town when it comes to income from quarry activities.
Dizon expressed his gratitude to the governor for her efforts to end the differences among the group of Aetas, CDC and the local government.
“Ang pinaka issue dito ay ang kapakanan ng mga Aetas. Sila dapat ang nakikinabang dito sa resources sa Sacobia area,” Dizon said.
At present, the provincial government under the Pineda administration recorded a total of P2.1 billion in quarry collections alone since 2010. (With Maria Reina Len Luna)
