Councilor defends dredging project

TANJAY CITY , Philippines   â€” Notwithstanding the negative perception of many Oriental Negrenses, the Tanjay River dredging project would benefit the city's tourism should it be pushed through, according to a councilor of this city.

Councilor Bobbit Ramirez, also the city's tourism coordinator, said, "To increase tourism in the city, we are planning to put up a floating restaurant in the Tanjay River after the dredging."

After the dredging, which will start from the mouth of Tanjay River going five kilometers upstream, the city will also plant trees along the riverbanks, Ramirez told The Freeman.

Ramirez defended the project and denied insinuations about black sand mining activities that would be done along with the dredging.

"I am for the dredging project. If you read carefully the memorandum of understanding between Sino-Italy Construction and the Office of the Mayor, there is no provision or word mentioning black sand mining, only dredging," he said, adding that it is part of the Tanjay LGU's public-private partnership program.

Ramirez clarified that the Bacolod-based Sino-Italy firm will not be mining black sand, but will only get as by-products during the dredging works, as a matter of payment to the contractor because the city "is not spending a single centavo," for the project.

"During the project, the DENR and other agencies will close monitor the activities of Sino-Italy. If it does anything that violates the MOU then it will be stopped," said Ramirez.

Opposition to the project came mostly from people who were politically ill-willed, and people who did not actually live in the Tanjay River area, Ramirez said. "The people were only misinformed, mainly because there is a lot of black sand in the area," he added.

Ron Calumpang, a Tanjayanon currently studying public administration at Silliman University in Dumaguete City, said he was for the dredging project, but not for the black sand mining activity.

"There is a world of difference when we say dredging the river and, say, mining black sand. Dredging the river is a must, and this is done with urgency, because the immediate locality is perennially affected by floods. As dredging will make the river deeper, so the chances of the river overflowing during the wet season can be contained. As with the mining of black sand, I personally have no stake in it and whether they do it or not is not in the best of my interests," he said.

So far, the dredging project has not been started due to a cease and desist order issued by the provincial government of Negros Oriental.  (FREEMAN)