Quarrying Activities cause Massive Erosion in San Fabian

What was once a road. A road in Brgy. Binday was destroyed after it was washed away by the rampaging waters of the Bued River lat 3 October 2009. The above photo shows the concrete wall washed out by the river. It shows where the river was before the erosion of the road and farm lands.

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5 October 2009 – San Fabian. The irrigation canal that is bringing the much needed water for the several hundred hectares of Barangays Anong, including Baraoas, Cabaruan, Binday, Aramal and Angio was finally destroyed by the strong current of Bued River. The strong current also destroyed some rice lands ready for harvesting. The massive erosion also moved the river bed about 20 meters inland.

An officer of the National Irrigation Administration who were at the scene of the destroyed and eroded irrigation canal said unless the quarrying activities being done at the Bued River be stopped, erosions of agricultural lands and houses will continue. In a statement made by the Municipal Agriculturist of San Fabian during the 10 September 2009, forum on the quarrying activities sponsored by the Parish, around 30 hectares of arable lands have already been lost due to erosion precipitated by the continuous quarrying activities.

The result of the September 10 forum was the signing of a petition addressed to the Governor Amado T. Espino to stop the unregulated quarrying activities in San Fabian. The letter was signed by hundreds of parishioners and concerned citizens. The letter was handed over to the provincial government last 28 September. It was received by Mr. Raffy Baraan, the provincial Administrator.

It was also learned that the Sangguniang Bayan of San Fabian passed a resolution (Res. No. 60-S-2009) requesting the provincial Environment and Natural Resources (PENRO) to temporarily stop the quarrying activities. The resolution also affirmed that the quarrying activities have caused heavy damages on farm lands and properties. The resolution was authored by Kgd. Saturnino C. Distor, and approved by all the members of the council.

The farmers affected by the destruction of the irrigation canals were now very worried. Their palays are in a stage when they need more water. But with the destruction of the canals, they do not know how they can salvage their harvest this year. Last year, these farmers were not able to plant because of the lack of irrigated water. Binday Dam collapsed at the height of Typhoon Cosme. Binday Dam is providing irrigated water to more than 1,000 hectares in San Fabian and the nearby townS of San Jacinto and Manaoag. Around 2,701 famers benefit from Binday Dam. It was found out that the destruction of the dam was caused by the continuous quarrying activities at the Bued River.

A Statement of Concern was issued by Rev. Fr. Oliver E. Mendoza, the parish priest, regarding the quarrying activities. It was ready in all the masses last 20 September 2009.
The famers are afraid that they will face another difficult year. They are crying for one thing: Stop the quarrying activities!

No more flowing water. The irrigation canal which used to be overflowing with water at this time of the year has dried up. Famers from four barangays of San Fabian are facing the destruction of their palays because of the continued quarrying activities.
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To see more pictures of the erosion caused by the quarrying activities, please click HERE.

A STATEMENT OF CONCERN

by Rev. Fr. Oliver E. Mendoza, Parish Priest

Bued River, showing the destroyed Binga Dam (Google Earth)

Inararok iran kabaleyan, pinablik iran atateng tan agagi ed Kristo:

Say panangaro tan kareenan nen Kristo.

Nen sakey a Huwebes, 10 Septiembre 2009, walay agawan “Consultation Meeting” diad Parish Center na Parokia na San Fabian, Papa tan Martir. Sayan “Consultation Meeting” et nipaakar ed say nagagawan “quarrying operations’’ diad baley tayon San Fabian, particular diad Bued River ya sakop na pigaran Barangay tayo: Colisao, Binday, Anonang, Aramal. Saya so dinagopan na saray mangilalaman na nanduroman ahensia na gobierno, taloran Kagawad na baley tan taloran Kapitan na Barangay tayo tan pigaran concerned citizens tan parokiano na San Fabian.

Diad sayan meeting, apapaway so twan nagagawan quarrying operations tan say kipapasen tan situation na San Fabian laut la ed saray abitlan barangay lapud sarayan quarrying operations:

Unaan, say manunan  rason no akin et aderal so Binday Dam nen inbeneg a taon et aliwa labat lapud say kapeles, kabaleg tan kakasil na danum ya inmagos lapud say Bagyon Cosme no ingen lapud say abayag la tan anggapoy tunda tan unregulated quarrying operations ya nagagawa. Say Binday Dam so structura ya balbaleg so tulong tod dakerakel ya dumaralos na San Fabian. Sanlibon hectaria so naseserbian na sayan dam. Nen saya so aderal lapud saray rason ya abitla la ngal-ngali anggapo so naani nen inbeneg ya taon diad sarayan barangay. Agaylay inpanirap da.

Kumadwa, naamtaan met ya dakel ed sarayan quarry operators so onsusumlang ed say ley tan regulations ya inpaletneg na Department of Environment and Natural Resources tan say National Irrigation Authority.

1. Say ley malinew ya ibabaga to ya agnayari so man-quarry 1.5 kilometers downstream and 1.5 kilometers upstream diad say dam ya inpalagey. Balet, pinmaway ya anggad 500 meters kaasinger ed dam so pankokotkot na saray manga-alay bato.
 
2. Say kaaralem labat  ya sarag ya pangotkot et sakey metro. Balet, diad say sankaaraleman  la na say akotkot ed Bued River et lipos la so sakey ya kiew a niyog.
 
3. Say pangot-kot na bato et ag nepeg ya ag onasingger ya 5 metros ed river banks. Balet, naneng-neng ed say aktwal ya kipapasen ya Bued River ya say panag-kotkot et mas asingger ni nen say 5 metros.
 
4. Say endorsement pian say sakey et makapan-quarry so manlapud say Sangguniang Bayan odino diad Sangguniang Barangay. Naalmoan ya say Sanggunian tayo et agni akapangiter anggan sakey ya endorsement tan likud ed sakey ya barangay ya angiter na sakey ya endorsement, saray Barangay ya apektado et ag met nira akapangiter na endorsement ed sarayan operators. Akin et tuloy-tuloy ni so operasyon na quarry ed baley tayo.
 
5.  Walay quota odino limitasyon na sakey ya operator nipaakar ed saray karakel ya nakotkot ton bato ed sakey taon. Anggad natan, anggapo so makapangibaga no pigara lan tonelada so akotkot ed San Fabian ya inawit ed arum ya baley, tan arum ya probinsiya na sarayan quarry operators.

Lapud saraya, naamtaan ya talomplon hectaria lan dadalosan so aderal tan abalang. Pigara lan irrigation canals so ngal-ngali la nasabi na tebag lapud maksil ya agos lapud say kaaralem la na Bued River. Akin et inmaralem ya maong so sayan ilog? Lapud say unregulated ya panag-quarry! No atapew labat komon so akot-kot, aliwan onyan kakasil tan kapeles na agos na danum, tan agkomon ontebag tan naiyagos so pigapigaran hectarian papageyan. Say sakey ya pakakatakotan tayo: no naderal lamet so Binday Dam.
No naderal so Binday Dam lamet, say kairapan so kabaliksan to ed dakerakel ya pamilya. Tan lapud saya, say chain effect to so onkayat ed say edukasyon, say abig-laman tan say negosyo  diad San Fabian.

Anto so nagawaan tayo?

Unaan, kerewen tayod Sangguniang Bayan ya mangipasa ya tampol na Resolosyon para say Provincial Government tan DENR ya mangaway Stoppage of Quarrying Operations diad San Fabian leleg na say Sangguniang Bayan so mangipasa na sakey ya ordinansan mamalet na regulasyon nipaakar ed say Quarrying Operations diad baley tayo. Kerewen kon suportaan tayo iyan action na Sanggunian Bayan.

Kumadwa, walay sulat para say Gobernador na Pangasinan ya onkekerew na say pamatunda na say quarrying operations tan say pamatunda na pangiter na arum niaran  quarrying permits. Imbestigaan komon na saray ahensian walad kanepegan so nagagawan quarrying operations diad baley tayo tan itdan na kanepegan ya aksion ed saray naalmoan ya onsusumlang ed saray ley. Saya petition letter so komon et pirmaan tayon amin.  Tan kasumpal, saya so ipawit ya tampol ed say Gobirnador tayo.

Kumatlo, say panbantay tayo; say pangasikaso tayo ed say inter na Dios ed sikatayon kalikasan. Aliwan amin et nasaliw na kuarta. Wala ra so nailakon agla balot naipawil. Wala ray ag naisalat ya kayaryan na baley. No aderal so kalikasan diad baley tayo, anto ni so naipatawir tayo ed saray ontumbok ed sikatayo? Nunoten so pankamaongan na karaklan aliwan say pigpigara labat. Agtayo komon nalingwanan ya wala ni ra so arum ya onsublay ed sikatayo diad say arapen iran panaon. Tan saraya et saray inararo ran anak tan apo tayo ra.
Baleg so nagawaan tayo no mankakasakey tayo. Ilaban tayo so San Fabian! Saya labat so baley tayo. Agtayo abuloyan ya naderal iyan pinablin baley tayo.

Kasian tan bendisionan tayon amin na Dios a Mapangasi!