City urged: Stop illegal quarry

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CCENRO) has asked the City Mining Regulatory Board (CMRB) to recommend to the Office of the Mayor the prompt issuance of a cease-and-desist order against quarrying and other earth-moving activities in Barangay Binaliw.

This comes after an inspection revealed that ongoing construction work poses a “serious and immediate threat” to the environment, especially since operations are reportedly being conducted without the required permits.

In a report dated July 2, 2025, which will be taken up by the council in its next session, CCENRO identified JT AYNE Constructions as the company carrying out the alleged illegal earth-moving activity. The CCENRO team confirmed this during its monitoring.

The issue was earlier endorsed to Barangay Binaliw. On July 16, CCENRO officials, led by its department head, joined a meeting at the barangay hall with City Administrator Albert Tan, Barangay Captain Viviane O. Ruste, and Cebu City Transportation Office head Raquel Arce. It was agreed during the meeting to conduct a joint inspection.

The joint inspection was held on July 24, with CCENRO and barangay officials leading the team. No heavy equipment was found at the site, but a backhoe operating in the vicinity was observed. Barangay Captain Ruste told inspectors the backhoe was owned by Prime Integrated Waste Solutions Inc. (PIWS), formerly ARN Central Waste Management Inc., and was being used on PIWS’s property.

The team also interviewed landowner Rogelio Ople, who confirmed that JT AYNE Constructions had been conducting earth-moving work on his property with his consent. He explained that the activity began after the adjacent lot was sold to ARN Central Waste Management Inc., which requested a right-of-way through his property. JT AYNE carried out the excavation, but Ople said it became “excessively deep,” leaving an overhanging cliff on his land.

To address this, Ople entered into an agreement with JT AYNE to level the ground, adding that since November 2024, about 3,000 truckloads of soil had been hauled out.

JT AYNE had earlier applied for a Special Hauling Permit on November 28, 2023, for the construction of a truck yard, but CCENRO reported that the CMRB denied the application due to incomplete documents.

As for PIWS, CCENRO noted that it does not have a current permit from CMRB to carry out earth-moving work. “ARN Central Waste Management Inc. was previously granted a permit by CCMRB, but this permit has long since expired. CCMRB had advised PIWS to apply for a permit; however, PIWS has yet to submit their application,” the report stated.

CCENRO concluded that the operations of JT AYNE Constructions are illegal due to the absence of the required permits. “Based on the inspection, quarry operation was conducted in the area,” the office noted. It added that PIWS’s activities at the landfill also require a CMRB permit and are therefore illegal.

The office has since recommended that the CMRB advise the mayor to issue a cease-and-desist order, citing violations of Section 4 of City Ordinance No. 2115, which requires permits for extracting, taking, and disposing of materials, and Section 5 of Executive Order No. 13 or “Oplan Likay sa Landslide,” which suspends quarrying and earth-moving in upland barangays deemed landslide-prone. Barangay Binaliw is one of the 30 upland areas identified as such.

“This violation poses a serious and ongoing immediate threat to the environment, especially since they are operating without the required permit,” the report stressed.

CCENRO also asked CMRB to require PIWS to secure the necessary permit under the Cebu City Mining Ordinance, and for the property owners to attend a technical conference together with CCENRO, Barangay Binaliw, and CMRB. — /FPL (FREEMAN)