Bulacan gov’t backs SC ruling vs quarry firm in Angat-Bustos watershed
CITY OF MALOLOS—The Bulacan provincial government has expressed full support for the Supreme Court decision halting quarry operations in the Angat-Bustos watershed area.
In a statement on Sunday, Gov. Daniel Fernando said the provincial government has yet to receive an official copy of the high court’s decision, but reiterated that environmental protection remains part of his “People’s Top 10 Agenda.”
“We will not tolerate or ignore any activity that harms our environment, especially our protected forest reserve,” he said in Filipino.
The Supreme Court, sitting en banc on April 8, granted a petition for a writ of kalikasan and issued a temporary environmental protection order filed by Narciso de Leon against Harley Construction Inc./Harley Construction Co. and its executive Anthony Halili over alleged quarrying and related activities in a protected forest area in Bulacan.
According to the high court, Harley Construction engaged in quarrying, excavation, earth extraction, and other operations within the Angat River-Bustos Dam Forest Reserve, and barred it from undertaking any activity that may cause further environmental damage.
Introduced by the Supreme Court in 2010, the writ of kalikasan serves as a legal remedy to address environmental cases involving actual or threatened harm to life, health, or property on a large scale.
Proclamation No. 573, issued in 1969, declared portions of Norzagaray, Doña Remedios Trinidad, and Angat as part of a permanent forest reserve, now known as the Angat River-Bustos Dam watershed.
According to Fernando, he ordered the Bulacan Environment and Natural Resources Office (Benro) to immediately conduct an investigation into quarrying and construction firms operating within the Angat-Bustos Dam protected area.
Impartial review
“In line with this, I am directing Benro to immediately conduct a thorough and impartial review of all related activities on this matter,” he said.
The governor assured concerned agencies of the provincial government’s full cooperation in any ongoing or future investigations.
Fernando added that the provincial government will implement necessary measures to prevent further degradation of natural resources in the area due to quarrying, excavation, earth extraction, and other mineral-related activities identified in the Supreme Court decision.
“As governor, my personal position is clear—there is no place in the province of Bulacan for any illegal activity that destroys our environment and endangers the welfare of our people,” he said.
According to Fernando, the Angat River-Bustos Dam watershed is not just a natural resource, noting that “it is water, life, livelihood, and the future of our people.”
Harley Construction has undertaken several government infrastructure projects, including contracts with the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Rizal provincial government based on available public records.
According to the Supreme Court, it granted the petition for the writ of kalikasan as it applied the precautionary principle under environmental rules, citing a technical report that found the company’s activities “significantly increased surface runoff, erosion, and sedimentation” in the watershed.
The high court also cited reports of damage to crops, vegetation, and fruit-bearing trees that serve as wildlife habitats.
