By DAVE SUAN ALBARADO
The Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) has forwarded to Bohol Governor Aris Aumentado a complaint over alleged illegal quarrying operations in Talibon, as a social media post publicly called out the governor for failing to respond within the agency’s prescribed 72-hour turnaround period.
The ARTA notice, dated April 7, 2026, and bearing Complaint No. EV202604062555, referred the concern filed by a certain Rechell M. Neri to the Provincial Government of Bohol after the agency’s Regional Field Office-Eastern Visayas determined the matter fell outside ARTA’s jurisdiction.
The complaint was received by the regional office on April 6, 2026.
In the referral signed by Atty. Cherry L. Batoto, officer-in-charge of the ARTA Regional Field Office-Eastern Visayas, the agency cited Section 17(d) of Republic Act No. 11032, or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018, which empowers ARTA to route complaints to the appropriate government body for resolution.
The referral drew public attention after Willy Ramasola, identified as a vocal critic, posted the ARTA letter on Facebook and challenged the governor to act immediately.
Writing in Cebuano, Ramasola noted that the April 7 letter required a response within 72 hours and questioned why none had been issued.
He also told the governor to set aside his pickleball games and attend to the matter, adding that violations at the Provincial Capitol were becoming increasingly apparent and that the issue risked escalating further.
Illegal quarrying has been allegedly a persistent and damaging problem across Bohol, a province whose economy depends heavily on tourism and agriculture — both of which are acutely vulnerable to the environmental destruction that unregulated extraction leaves behind.
Allegedly, quarrying operations in riverbanks and upland areas have been linked to accelerated riverbed erosion, the silting of water sources, and flooding in low-lying communities during heavy rainfall events.
In coastal municipalities like Talibon, located along Bohol’s northern coast, alleged uncontrolled extraction of sand, gravel, and rock materials has historically threatened both freshwater ecosystems and marine buffer zones.
The Mines and Geosciences Bureau and local government units are tasked with regulating quarry permits under the Philippine Mining Act, but enforcement has been uneven across provinces.
Critics have long argued that the alleged persistence of illegal quarrying in Bohol reflects weak monitoring, inadequate penalties, and the political protection some operators enjoy at the local level.
As of posting, no public response from the governor’s office had been recorded.
The Provincial Government of Bohol has not issued a statement on the complaint.