THE SUSPENSION order issued by the Cebu governor last week on all quarry operations with permits under the provincial government will stay until companies are proven in an evaluation “that their operations are safe,” according to Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) head Jayson P. Lozano. In a statement, Mr. Lozano said the temporary stoppage is intended to avoid any incident similar to the landslides in Barangay Tinaan, Naga City last Sept. 20. Quarrying is believed to have triggered the tragedy that buried more than 60 houses, killing 60 people and 28 still missing as of Wednesday. Mr. Lozano explained that those covered by the suspension are small-scale operators with permits for an area coverage of up to a maximum of five hectares. “Large scale operations or those that goes beyond five hectares are under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Mines and Geosciences Bureau,” Mr. Lozano said. The governor has earlier said that he is ready to shut down mining companies that willl be found to have violated regulations. The PENRO chief said a multi-sectoral team will conduct the assessment on each company, along with technical experts who will check operational procedures.

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