Mayor John Dalipe has issued an executive order providing for the guidelines regulating the extraction and hauling or transportation of sand and gravel aggregates, the apprehension and impoundment of motor vehicles used in violation thereof.

In his Executive Order No. JD 2023-004 dated Jan. 5, Mayor Dalipe ordered the following acts or omissions to be unlawful: 1. The extraction of materials without permit; 2. Failure to issue the genuine delivery receipts to drivers of vehicles hauling extracted materials; 3. Issuing fake delivery receipts; 4. Failure to present delivery receipts by drivers of vehicles hauling extracted materials, and; 5. Willful obstruction or harassment of the City Mayor or any of the mayor’s representatives in the performance of duties pursuant to the existing Ordinance 2002-094 also known as “The Sand, Gravel and Other Quarry Resources Ordinance, and this EO.

The EO also provides that no extraction or quarrying of sand, gravel and other quarry resources by holders of Quarry Permit within their concession areas, shall take place from 6pm until 6am the following day from Monday to Sunday. Within the same period, no hauling or transporting of sand, gravel and other quarry resources shall be undertaken.

“This prohibition applies with equal force and effect to all types of Quarry Permit and to all contractors implementing infrastructure projects within the territorial jurisdiction of Zamboanga City,” Dalipe stressed in the EO.

Further, the executive order requires all government infrastructure projects through the project coordinator to request for an exemption from the City Mayor, indicating the requested volume of aggregates requirements as well as the point of destination. List of hauling equipment and their corresponding plate numbers for identification purposes shall also be included in the request for exemption.

Mayor Dalipe has deputized the Office of the City Environment and Natural Resources (OCENR) to enforce and monitor the due compliance of EO JD-004, and for the barangay chairpersons to implement the same within their respective jurisdictions.

Likewise, the Zamboanga City Police Office and Task Force Zamboanga through their respective station commanders were directed to render assistance to the barangay officials in the apprehension of violators and impoundment of vehicles. The Task Force Ordinance under the City Administrator’s Office and the City Hall Community Police Assistance Center (COMPAC) shall also be fielded to assist in the apprehension of violators and impoundment of vehicles violating the order.-(Vic Larato)