Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) Regional Office (RO) No. XII Director Felizardo A. Gacad, Jr. convened on September 4, 2020 at Koronadal City, the organizational meeting of the South Cotabato Inter-Agency Committee (IAC), which was created pursuant to Item VII, Section 1 of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Administrative Order No. 2020-07, “Rationalizing Dredging Activities in Heavily-Silted River Channels Pursuant to the DENR-DPWH-DILG-DOTR Joint Memorandum Circular No.1 Series of 2019” (JMC 2019-01).

Included in those who attended were DENR RO No.  XII Regional Executive Director (RED) Atty. Felix S. Alicer, Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH) RO No. XII Assistant Regional Director (ARD) Rosie C. Javate, South Cotabato Provincial Environment Management Officer Siegfried Flaviano, and Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) RO No. XII representative Engr. Bolawan M. Sambarani.

Engr. John Mikel P. Ansao, Officer-in-Charge, Mine Management Division, MGB RO No. XII, presented the JMC 2019-01, re: “Guidelines in the Issuance of Clearance and/or Permit Within Waterways or Other Inland Bodies of Water.” The presentation focused on the permitting procedures for and process involved in the utilization of dredged materials with commercial disposition. RED Alicer firmly stated, “Experts will say, we really need to dredge but we have to follow guidelines,”

The committee requested for DPWH RO No. XII ARD Javate to provide IAC with a copy of the DPWH River Dredging Master Plan for the province as one of the bases for the identification of a River Dredging Zone (RDZ) to be declared as such by IAC. The said RDZ is an exclusive area where dredging activities shall be allowed and quarrying strictly prohibited.

The Inter-Agency Committee during the meeting.

MGB RO No. XII’s article can be read here.

By: Mineral Economics, Information and Publication Division