ILOILO CITY — A construction boom in the province of Iloilo is driving a frenzy of sand and gravel quarrying that is already weakening the foundations of at least three bridges and a dam.

Raul Banias, provincial administrator, said Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor planned to indefinitely suspend quarrying in critical areas in five river systems to allow the rivers to rest and recover.

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Banias said quarrying would be suspended in the Aganan, Jalaur, Sibalom, Suage and Ulian river systems. Officials would also conduct what they said was a rapid assessment of the rivers’ condition.

The suspension of quarrying was among the recommendations made at an interagency meeting headed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources on the effects of the quarrying frenzy on public structures and rivers as reported by the Regional Development Council (RDC).

Weakened structures

The bridges weakened by quarrying included two along Suage River in Janiuay town and the Jalaur Bridge in the town of Calinog, according to the RDC.

Also in danger of being weakened was the National Irrigation Authority (NIA) dam in the village of Anonang in Leon town.

The NIA had recommended suspending quarrying in areas upstream and downstream of the dam stretching for 2.8 kilometers.

Different government agencies had raised concern about the safety and integrity of the structures if the erosion of river beds caused by quarrying continued.

Banias said the provincial government would also stop the use of backhoes for quarrying because the machines left deep holes on the ground.

Campaign vs illegal quarries

More employees would be hired by the provincial government to stop illegal quarrying, he said.

The province has 65 licensed small-scale mining operators as of August last year.

Banias said there had been a surge in demand for gravel and sand in recent days because of massive construction projects both by the government and private sector.

The number of construction projects in Western Visayas, mostly in Iloilo province, grew by almost half (49.9 percent) in 2015 from previous years. Last year, the number of construction projects added to those already existing was 11.6 percent of the total.

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‘Build, build, build’

The boom in new projects was expected to further accelerate as the Duterte administration carries out a “Build, build, build” policy to increase infrastructure spending’s share in the gross domestic product.

President Duterte had promised to end the practice of holding up public funds meant for projects, particularly infrastructure.

During the campaign and several times in his speeches as President, Mr. Duterte had described underspending as another form of corruption that deprives people of services and projects. —NESTOR P. BURGOS JR.

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