SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union – In its bid to forge partnership towards a unified cadence in the protection and conservation of the environment, Regional Executive Director Atty. Crizaldy M. Barcelo recently convened the Industrial and Commercial Sand and Gravel permittees in Naguilian River.

The partnership involves the 22.9 kilometers stretch of the Naguilian River where the group aims to ensure the flow and discharge of the water from the two tributaries (Bagulin and Burgos) of the waterbody through the establishment of an organized quarry lane.

During the meeting, it was also discussed that all interventions on issues identified in the area can also be infused by the permittees for the improvement and development of the riverbanks including their social responsibility to those living along the Naguilian River.

RED Barcelo urged the permittees to support the project as their way of giving back to the environment which has been their source of livelihood for years now.  During the meeting, the permittees manifested their full support to the clamor of the RED through dredging of the the heavily silted part of the river.  They unanimously agreed that it is their duty to save the “river” which they referred to as the “duck that lays the golden egg.”  This is also seen to be a solution to the perennial flooding in the town of Naguilian as previously described by Vice Mayor Reynaldo Flores during the ocular inspection conducted by the DENR 1.

Further, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau also presented to the RED the quarry lane plan which will be utilized as guide of the permittees in the adoption of a segment of the river towards its rehabilitation.

As the DENR Chief in the region, RED Barcelo also banks on his trust and confidence to the permittees as partners in environmental protection with a common vision and ‘driven by passion’ like what Sec. Roy A. Cimatu built on during the recent Tullahan River dredging in partnership with San Miguel Corporation (SMC).

Naguilian River System is identified as Water Quality Monitoring Area by the Environmental Management Bureau in 2016. A MOPA has been inked recently both by the DENR 1 and the sand and gravel permittees of Naguilian, La Union.