ILOILO — Unprecedented flooding that swamped a home in Barangay Sohoton, Barotac Nuevo town for the first time in 70 years has prompted provincial environment authorities to investigate whether quarry operations contributed to the inundation.
The Provincial Government Environment and Natural Resources Office (PGENRO) launched a motu proprio investigation following the flooding in barangays Sohoton and Igbong from July 31 to August 1.
Both villages experienced unusually deep floodwaters, raising concerns that quarrying in nearby upland areas may have weakened the landscape’s capacity to absorb and control rainwater runoff.
PGENRO head Atty. Cesar Emmanuelle Buyco Jr. said his office had not received a formal complaint from residents as of Monday, August 3. However, photos and videos circulating on social media, along with allegations linking the flooding to quarry operations, compelled the agency to act.
Buyco dispatched an inspection team to verify whether the images were taken in the affected villages and determine whether quarry operators in the area held valid permits.
If the operators are authorized, investigators will check their compliance with their approved programs of work, particularly the required water management measures.
“Siguruhon lang nila (inspection team) kun amo gid man to sa video, kay kun amo to ang pagbaha, we will see kun ang cause gid man sadto is ang quarry. Kag kun may permit to sia, i-check namon kun may water management procedure. Kay kun may permit ka, na-submit mo sa work program ang water management kun paano mo i-manage ang water,” Buyco explained.
He warned that operators found quarrying without permits would face legal consequences.
Even authorized operators may be held liable if they failed to implement their required water management procedures and quarrying is proven to have contributed to the flooding.
“Kun wala sia permit, then ang tag-iya will have to face the consequences under the law, the illegal quarry. Pero kun may permit ina, sia manabat kun ngaa wala na-manage ang water – that is kun ang cause sang baha is quarry,” Buyco added.
Buyco reminded all quarry operators in Iloilo province to strictly comply with their approved programs of work to prevent flooding and other environmental hazards.
As of May 2026, PGENRO records showed 64 quarry operators in Iloilo province, including three in Barotac Nuevo:
* Gerald Siochi in Barangay Lico-an, whose permit is valid from April 21, 2022 to April 22, 2027, with an approved extraction volume of 9,500 cubic meters of limestone;
* Lindin Glenn Bolivar in Barangay Igbong, whose permit runs from May 10, 2023 to April 10, 2028, covering 9,500 cubic meters of limestone; and
* Phoebe Sobrevega in Barangay Sohoton, whose permit is valid from March 10, 2025 to February 1, 2030, with an approved extraction volume of 23,000 cubic meters of limestone.
Quarry permit holders are individuals or construction firms authorized to extract materials such as basalt, ordinary earth and limestone from mountains or elevated areas.
Photos and videos of the flooding and an allegedly denuded portion of a mountain in Barangay Sohoton circulated widely on social media over the weekend.
In a Facebook post, Jill Ostique said the home of her mother, Tessie Cusay, in Sitio Bacolod, Barangay Sohoton, was flooded for the first time in seven decades.
“And not just a little — this is the deepest flood she has ever experienced in her entire life. She is not alone. Some areas in Barangay Tinorian and Barangay Igbong are also flooded,” Ostique wrote.
She argued that the flooding could not be blamed on rainfall alone, alleging that excessive quarrying had stripped the mountains of trees, loosened the soil and weakened natural waterways.
“Let us be honest with ourselves. This is not just because of the rain. This is the effect of abusing Mother Nature. Because of excessive quarry operation in our mountains, our trees were cut down, our soil became loose, and our rivers lost their strength. So when heavy rains come, there is nothing left to hold the water. And so the flood goes straight to our homes — to Nanay Tessie’s house, to Barangay Tinorian, to Barangay Igbong,” Ostique added.
Ostique stressed that residents were not opposed to development but said it should not come at the expense of people’s lives and safety.
She called on the Barotac Nuevo municipal government, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and other concerned authorities to act before more families suffer and the environmental damage becomes irreversible./PN
