by Rey Anthony Chiu

Tagbilaran City (19 July) -- AT least 17 Bohol of towns should have no existing quarry operations.

Residents in these towns who may have noticed any quarry activities may call or text 0926 973 6654 or o915 318 1146. A staff at the Task Force Kabukiran Tactical operations Center in Camp Dagohoy, mans the number 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, TFK operations head PSSupt Edgardo Ingking said recently.

All information shall be treated confidential, he added.

Of the 17, 9 towns have no permits issue, another 8 have expired permits, 2 have deferred permits while 3 more have suspended mining operations being within a protected site.

According to the list of permittees furnished by the Bohol Environment and Management Office (BEMO) as of July this year, no permits were granted in Batuan, Clarin, Cortes, Dimiao, Pilar, San Isidro, Sevilla, Valencia and Tagbilaran City.

On the 8-page list, BEMO head Engr. Renato Villaber also named Anda, Balilihan, Buenavista, Catigbian, Danao, Loboc, San Miguel and Tubigon as having previous quarry sites but operators have expired their permits, presumably after having gathered the volume they applied for.

Moreover, permitees grantees in Jagna and Garcia Hernandez have deferred permits, BEMO reported.

The Capitol environment office did not include in its report if anybody have pending permits applied in Dauis, Panglao, President Garcia, Bilar and Dagohoy.

This means that in 25 towns of Bohol's 47, mining activities should not be found, and if there are, they are definitely illegal.

Bohol quarry sites boast of high-grade lime stones, manganese, sand and gravel, R-phosphates, silica, guano, river sand, pebbles, boulders and diorite.

With the list, Capitol also hopes local government units and barangay governments can immediately notify any member of the newly hatched; Task Force Kabukiran (TFK) of any irregular mining activities in their areas.