By DANTE SALVAÑA

IBA, Zambales — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has disputed allegations that dredging operations may be contributing to coastal erosion at Sitio Tek-Tek in Barangay Maloma, San Felipe, Zambales.

Zambales Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer Marife Castillo said the DENR monitors the area daily and has not observed any dredging vessel operating along the Tektek coastline.

The DENR official maintained that no dredging operation was occurring at Sitio Tek-Tek at the agency’s latest monitoring and that authorized operations elsewhere remained in designated areas and under inter-agency monitoring.

At the same time, Castillo addressed claims by the Zambales Ecological Network (ZEN) questioning the environmental impact and monitoring of dredging operations in the province.

She said the DENR has studied the dredging activities and stressed that they are implemented under an inter-agency framework, with environmental safeguards and monitoring measures in place.

“The dredging has definitely been studied,” Castillo said, citing DENR Administrative Order No. 2019-13 as among the bases for the agency’s assessment and monitoring.

According to Castillo, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) prepared the dredging plan, and the DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) and Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) worked on the corresponding environmental measures.

She said dredging vessels are monitored in designated areas, particularly in the estuary or mouth of Bucao River in Botolan and Santo Tomas River bordering San Felipe and San Narciso towns.

“They have a designated dredging zone. They (dredgers) are confined to that area. They cannot go around anywhere. They will only dredge there,” Castillo said.

The MGB, she added, monitors dredged materials, including the volume of sand loaded onto vessels, and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), which is part of the inter-agency monitoring team, enforces maritime safety.

Castillo also disputed the impression that dredging vessels are operating freely along Zambales’ coastline, saying DENR personnel regularly monitor the designated dredging zones.

She said reports and monitoring data are available to address concerns raised by environmental groups, adding that the DENR is prepared to present the data to stakeholders seeking clarification on the operations.

Castillo stressed that allegations linking dredging directly to coastal erosion should undergo technical and scientific assessments, particularly by distinguishing authorized river or estuary dredging from activities occurring along the open coastline. ▲