Irate residents in Tanjay City, Negros Oriental on Friday warned they will continue with their barricades leading to the operations site of what they believe is black sand mining operations in Sitio Tambakan, Poblacion Barangay 4, until the contractor moves out of the area.
This, as tension rose in Tambakan starting Thursday afternoon with residents claiming the contractor, Sino-Italy Philippines, Inc. operated their mechanical equipment for a few hours despite a cease and desist order issued by Governor Roel Degamo.
Aida Elopre, president of the core group in Barangay 4, disclosed that as soon as the residents heard the machine operating, they decided to form barricades along the road leading to the operations site to prevent workers of Sino-Italy to enter or leave the site.
Elopre disclosed that policemen responded later to pacify the angry crowd and allow workers of the contractor to leave but the protesters refused to budge until finally Councilor Juanito Condes arrived to talk to them.
During negotiations Thursday evening, Condes managed to convince the crowd, reportedly numbering more than a hundred, to allow the foreign nationals working for Sino-Italy to leave the area, with police escorts securing them.
However, they were only allowed to leave on one condition that they are no longer allowed to return, Elopre added.
Only a couple of security guards and a few workers were left inside the operations site and were not allowed to leave, some of the protesters disclosed.
On Friday morning, tension rose again after Tanjay City Mayor Lawrence Teves, accompanied by city police chief Sr. Insp. Teddy Picardal and other city officials proceeded to the area to reportedly dismantle the barricades.
Elopre said a backhoe was deployed to the site during the arrival of Mayor Teves there. Teves reportedly talked to the protesters for about half an hour but left later, unable to convince them to remove the blockades.
Barangay chairman Ricardo Fabe, for his part, disclosed that he is supporting his constituents and other residents in opposing what they believe is black sand mining under the guise of dredging the Tanjay River.
According to Fabe, when he learned that the contractor had operated their machines, he immediately called Governor Degamo even though they learned that the activity on Thursday afternoon was just a test operation.
Residents claimed it was not a test operation but that black sand was allegedly being separated from materials being extracted from the area.
They also disclosed that they do not want local police from Tanjay City but from the provincial police office to deploy to Tambakan to ensure that the governor’s cease and desist order is being implemented fully.
The order was issued by the governor after it was discovered that Sino-Italy has not yet obtained a permit from the provincial government for their supposed dredging operations.
The dredging project, costing millions of pesos, became controversial after opposing quarters warned against it, saying it was actually an alleged black sand mining operation.
To recall, the city government of Tanjay City had entered into a memorandum of understanding with Sino-Italy for the dredging project at no cost to the local government to clear the Tanjay River of debris to prevent future flooding.
In return, the contractor will get to have in their possession whatever volume of magnetite or black sand that can be extracted from the dredged materials while the waste matter will be used as backfill for the planned rehabilitation of the city’s port.
Reporters on Friday afternoon attempted to get a statement from Mayor Teves at the city hall but his personal secretary, Wilfredo Calumpang, Jr. said he was attending a meeting at the public market.
The meeting was closed door and text messages sent to Mayor Teves were not answered at press time. (PNA)
