ILOILO — Nine dump trucks were seized in a weeklong anti-illegal quarrying crackdown across Iloilo Province as police and provincial authorities intensified efforts to stamp out unauthorized quarry operations and tighten enforcement against the illegal transport of extracted materials.
The Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO), in coordination with the Iloilo Provincial Government’s Task Force Overloading, apprehended the trucks from July 2 to 7 after discovering a series of documentary and transport violations that authorities said could indicate illegally sourced quarry materials.
IPPO spokesperson Police Lieutenant Colonel Arnel Solis said the operations were part of the provincial government’s intensified campaign to curb illegal quarrying while ensuring compliance with laws governing the extraction and transport of quarry resources.
“The campaign ensures that quarry operators comply with the requirements of the law. We want to protect the province’s natural resources while promoting responsible and legitimate quarry operations,” Solis said.
Lambunao and Banate municipal police stations recorded the highest number of apprehensions with two dump trucks each.
One dump truck each was also intercepted by police in Cabatuan, Tigbauan, Zarraga, Dingle, and Pototan.
Police said the impounded vehicles were found to have committed various violations of the Revised Revenue Code of Iloilo, including incompletely filled-out transport documents, misdeclared entries, tampered delivery receipts, dripping water from transported quarry materials, open-dated documents, and the absence of required hauling contracts.
“These may appear to be simple documentary lapses, but they are indicators that the transport of quarry materials may not be compliant with existing regulations. Every truck transporting quarry resources must have complete and valid documents to ensure that the extracted materials come from legitimate sources and that proper taxes and fees are paid,” Solis explained.
The dump trucks were impounded at their respective police stations for allegedly violating Section 2H.35, Paragraphs B-17, B-18, and B-21 of the Revised Revenue Code of Iloilo, which penalizes illegal quarry activities and related transport violations.
Solis urged quarry operators, truck owners, and transporters to strictly comply with provincial ordinances and secure all necessary permits before transporting quarry materials.
“We appeal to all operators to observe the law and secure the necessary permits before transporting quarry materials. Compliance benefits everyone—it protects your business from legal consequences, ensures fair competition in the industry, and safeguards the environment,” he said.
He said the IPPO and the provincial government will continue conducting surprise inspections and intelligence-driven operations to sustain the campaign against illegal quarrying.
“This campaign will not stop here. We will further intensify our monitoring and enforcement activities because protecting Iloilo’s natural resources is a shared responsibility. We remain committed to ensuring that all quarry operations are conducted legally, transparently, and with accountability,” Solis said./PN
