PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wants those responsible for the alleged dumping of Philippine sand in reclamation projects in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) to be held responsible as he ordered a more thorough investigation on the issue, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said yesterday.
At the House, militant lawmakers sought a congressional investigation into the Chinese-led dredging project in the Cagayan River, saying it has “severely disrupted local livelihoods and marine ecosystems.”
“While the dredging was suspended in 2023, its ecological aftermath continues to cripple the livelihoods of coastal communities, with no substantial rehabilitation or compensation provided to date,” party-list Reps. France Castro (ACT), Arlene Brosas (Gabriela) and Raoul Manuel (Kabataan) of the Makabayan bloc said in House Resolution No. 2278.
Castro, in a briefing, said the president issued the directive after the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) disclosed during a Senate inquiry early this week that sand from the Philippines’ coastal areas are being used allegedly by China in its reclamation activities in the WPS.
“After receiving information about this, the President ordered a thorough investigation into this. And now the investigation is ongoing,” Castro said in Filipino.
She said additional actions would be taken once the investigations are completed and the results have been submitted to Marcos.
Asked if government will hold anyone responsible, like local government units where the alleged quarrying of coastal sands occurred, Castro said it would depend on results of probe.
“That is why this will be investigated, to determine if someone should be held accountable. This is also the order reminder of the President … if someone should be held accountable, they should be held accountable),” she added.
NICA Deputy Director Ashley Acedillo, during the Senate hearing last Monday, said his agency is investigating various Chinese companies and individuals involved in reclamation and dredging activities in Philippine waters, including Manila Bay.
Acedillo said there are reports that some companies are dredging sand from some coastal municipalities and using it in the reclamation activities of China in the WPS.
HOUSE INQUIRY
House Resolution 2278, the lawmakers said, was filed to seek accountability and protection for coastal communities facing long-term ecological and economic damage.
The Chinese firms are accused of engaging in “environmentally destructive and exploitative activities.”
The Cagayan River Restoration Project was launched in 2021 under the Duterte administration.
Fisherfolk group Pamalakaya earlier said the dredging project was carried out by Chinese companies under the guise of a flood control measure.
The large-scale dredging by Chinese firms has been blamed for the collapse of local fisheries and widespread ecological damage in coastal towns, particularly Aparri.
Pamalakaya said the operation was falsely labeled as “desiltation projects” when in reality it facilitated the large-scale extraction of sand and minerals, damaging marine ecosystems and reducing fish catch for local fisherfolk.
The resolution noted that daily earnings of fisherfolk has reportedly dropped from P7,000 to P9,000 to as low as P900, which showed the severe economic losses faced by small fisherfolk.
Pamalakaya has warned that the operations served more as a front for black sand (magnetite) extraction than genuine river rehabilitation.
It said such concerns were reportedly ignored during the project’s approval, despite strong opposition from affected communities.
The resolution also connects the Cagayan project to “a broader pattern of environmentally harmful ventures involving Chinese firms across the Philippines.”
It called for legislative action to prevent “further exploitation by foreign corporate interests operating with impunity.”
“There is an urgent need to uphold national patrimony over our natural resources and prevent further exploitation by foreign corporate interests operating with impunity,” it said.
SARA: I’M PRO PH
Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday night defended herself from criticisms that she has always been silent when it comes to China’s illegal incursions in the WPS, claiming saying she is “pro-Philippines.”
“Isn’t it obvious that I’m here in the Philippines to campaign for candidates for the country’s sake? So, of course I am pro-Philippines and nothing else,” she told reporters in Bisaya in Kidapawan City where she attended the rally of the Asenso Cotabato Coalition.
Critics have been accusing the Dutertes of protecting China’s interests, especially former president Rodrigo Duterte, whose stance has been seen as a capitulation to the Asian superpower.
La Union Paolo Ortega V earlier assailed the vice president’s “deafening silence” on China’s illegal activities in the Philippines’ Sandy Cay which is part of the Spratlys group of islands.
Ortega has said the vice president did not even try to help defend the country after the Philippine government debunked China’s claim that it has seized control of three cays near a Philippine-occupied island in the WPS.
The vice president sees nothing wrong with keeping mum on the issue, saying the real issue is the Marcos administration’s alleged failure to honor campaign promises such as bringing down the price of rice to P20 per kilo, a program that was already launched in the Visayas.
She even accused Ortega and Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Adiong of being products of “warlordism” in the country.
“Of course, why would I attack China during our campaign here in the Philippines? Our problem here is the government’s failure to fulfill promises such as the P20 per kilo of rice,” she said.
