Oriental Mindoro gov, board clash over river restoration, flood control issues
CALAPAN CITY—Oriental Mindoro Gov. Humerlito Dolor expressed disappointment over the passage of a provincial board resolution seeking a Senate blue ribbon committee and Commission on Audit (COA) probe into the provincial government’s river restoration program, reiterating that the same board has not taken action on alleged anomalous multibillion-peso flood control projects.
In a statement on Thursday, Dolor said the river restoration initiative has been pursued by the provincial government since 2019, undergoing a six-year process in accordance with existing laws and standards, and implemented without cost to the province.
“To the honorable members of the [provincial board] of Oriental Mindoro, it is greatly saddening that you passed resolutions to the Senate blue ribbon committee and the COA regarding our River Restoration Program, while you cannot join me and the people in holding accountable those responsible for billions worth of flood control projects that are substandard, overpriced and a milking cow of unscrupulous individuals,” Dolor said.
‘Hurtful’
The governor also criticized the board for passing another resolution asking the Departments of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to revoke permits for the river restoration program while failing to condemn what he described as the failure of questionable flood control projects.
Dolor stressed that the river restoration through dredging of river systems and waterways is neither mining nor commercial dredging.
“The accusations from politicians that I took money from the dredging are deeply hurtful. The truth is clear: flood control projects are already falling apart even though they were only recently built,” he said, citing damaged structures in Naujan town (Barangays Mulawin, Tagumpay, and Arangin), Calapan City (Barangay Managpi), Baco town (Barangays Burbuli and Sta. Cruz), Bongabong town (Barangay San Isidro) and Gloria town (Barangay Buong Lupa).
Vice Gov. Antonio Perez Jr. confirmed in a phone interview on Friday that the resolutions had been remanded to the provincial board’s concerned committees after a motion was deliberated and approved, with the majority identified with the Dolor administration.
Provincial Board Member Anthony Yap, in a separate message, said the resolutions were originally set for further deliberation in upcoming sessions. However, he noted that the majority bloc insisted on sending them back to the committees and called for a division of the house, where they prevailed.
A broad alliance of Mindoro leaders and environmental groups have recently expressed strong opposition to large-scale sand dredging operations in the province, warning that the projects threaten coastal communities and mask black sand mining.
At the Mindoro Environmental Summit on Aug. 22 in Calapan City, local officials joined church leaders, board members and advocates in rejecting what they described as commercial exploitation disguised as river restoration.
