By SHERWIN DE VERA
www.nordis.net
First of two parts
BAGUIO CITY—From the usual church services, Bible verses, and parish reminders, the Facebook page of Our Lady of Hope Parish in Caoayan, Ilocos Sur, has for months now featured photos and videos of massive dredging vessels and barges, and eroding areas in Barangay Puro.
Puro, located on a delta at the mouth of the Abra River before it joins the West Philippine Sea, is one of three barangays that make up the island’s communities. The other two, Dammay and Oribi, are part of Santa town.
Posts about the ships became more frequent in March, as the vessels moved closer to the barangay—close enough for residents to hear the noise and feel vibrations from the dredging operations, even at night, one of the posts read. By late April, the vessels had become a near-weekly fixture on the page, often accompanied by appeals to local officials to stop the activities.
Fishers have voiced concern not only over the noise and tremors but also about worsening shoreline erosion and a dwindling fish catch, which they attribute to the dredging project.
The offshore vessels, operated by Isla Verde Mining and Development Corporation, appeared in May 2024. Local officials say the operations aim to unclog the river channel and ease flooding in barangays across Vigan City, Caoayan, and Santa.
In June 2022, the company signed an agreement with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) regional office to dredge, desilt, and rehabilitate a portion of the Abra River.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Region I also gave clearance, provided that “excavation shall not in any way jeopardize the stability of the riverbanks,” according to a representative who spoke during a March 25 inquiry called by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan Committee on Environment and Natural Resources.
The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) reported that as of December 6, 2024, Isla Verde had transferred over eight million cubic meters of dredged material from the Banaoang River to the Pasay City reclamation project. The company holds a permit to extract and process sand and gravel and an environmental compliance certificate (ECC) for up to 10 million metric tons of dredged aggregates annually.
The MGB also reported that Isla Verde conducted a test run in 2019, but no further operations followed. The company previously held a mineral processing permit for black sand issued in October 2012, which has since expired.
“Long-term benefits”
Edgar Yabes, head of the province’s Environment and Natural Resources Management Office, said the project had long been proposed but took time due to documentary requirements and agency reviews.
“We will not allow the project to proceed without the corresponding permits and clearances,” he said.
Yabes emphasized the need to clear the waterways and assured the public that authorities are monitoring compliance with the project terms.
“Let us consider the long-term benefits of the project. We need to clean the waterways to avoid repeating past experiences, especially for those living near the Abra River, which has been causing massive flooding,” he added.
Puro barangay captain Roberto Cabanig defended the project, saying it has been unfairly criticized on social media. While he admitted that loud noise from the vessels reaches the community, he denied that the dredging is a cause for concern or harm to the residents. He added that the ships operate only from 4 AM to 10 PM, as agreed upon with the local officials.
“They [critics] always blame the dredging and those ships… It was Typhoon Feria that first caused massive erosion along our coastline,” said the 62-year-old village chief, adding that residents also used to dig the shoreline to pan for gold.
Cabanig said the project has helped ease flooding and brought additional benefits to the community, including government revenue share and other aid from the company.
“We use this to develop our barangay… We will also put up an evacuation center and extend our barangay hall. We have lots of projects because of this initiative of the province,” he said.
He cited gains, including public infrastructure and disaster response equipment, such as two boats. The company also supplied relief goods during emergencies. Per the agreement with the local government, it will also help reinforce the coastline with gabion boxes, and dredged aggregates as soon as dredging vessels can access the channel.
Cabanig also dismissed complaints about declining fish catch, saying harvests naturally fluctuate. He claimed some fishers even saw a rise in ipon catch last year. However, residents of the affected communities say otherwise.
Disrupted livelihood
Bobot (not his real name), a fisherman from Puro, said they have had difficulty fishing in nearshore areas since the ships arrived.
“These ships keep coming back and forth, disturbing us residents. The fish have also left, and we can hardly catch anything anymore. The shellfish we catch now smell like crude oil… even some of the fish,” said the 56-year-old.
Residents of Dammay and Oribi also reported declining fish catch and a strange odor in the seafood since the vessels began operations in May 2024.
A focused group discussion conducted by the non-profit Ilocos Center for Research Empowerment and Development (ICRED) in affected barangays, including Rancho, Calungboyan, and Casiber in Santa, found a sharp drop in ipon (goby fry) catch. From around 100 cans (17 kilos each), fishers now collect only about 30. Each can, a seasonal and popular Ilocano dish, sells for ₱5,000–10,000.
The group also noted that fishers used to catch seafood near the shore worth at least ₱1,000 on a good day. Now, they must go beyond the 15-kilometer municipal waters, increasing gasoline costs from ₱500 to as much as ₱3,000. Some return with only enough for their families.
“This means a higher cost of production and lesser income for them,” ICRED said..
Several studies have shown that dredging poses risks to aquatic life and biodiversity. It disturbs underwater sediments, potentially releasing pollutants, increases water turbidity, and reduces sunlight for aquatic plants.
A review of 45 global case studies found that dredging destroyed 21,023 hectares of seagrass. Bottom-dwelling organisms and algae are particularly vulnerable. Dredging also disrupts benthic habitats and food webs, reducing prey species like invertebrates and fish.
Noise pollution from dredging may not always be lethal, but it can affect the behavior and communication of marine species. A broader review of 115 primary studies found harmful biological effects on 66 fish species and 36 invertebrates, ranging from stress and injury to population- and ecosystem-level impacts.
These risks are more severe when operations proceed without proper safeguards.
“The wrong place”
Under then-Governor Ryan Singson, the province commissioned a study in 2015 to address flooding and erosion along the Abra River. However, marine and coastal geologist Dr. Fernando Siringan, who led the study, said the current operations deviate from its key recommendations.
“I am not against dredging. There are places that need to be dredged, but it must be done properly. This plan is not the right way if the intent is to alleviate flooding,” Siringan said during the March 25 inquiry.
He stressed that dredging should target shallow areas and that extracted material should be used to elevate low-lying areas or reinforce riverbanks, not removed entirely.
“Having such a huge area will only compromise the integrity of a large coastline. The bathymetry offshore in this area is very steep and already unstable. Dredging will make it even more unstable,” he warned, citing cases in Cagayan and Zambales where similar projects led to severe erosion.
Siringan urged officials to revisit the original plan, require transparency, and compel Isla Verde to submit bathymetric reports and justify the dredging route and target depth.
Dredging continues
Yabes said Siringan’s study was reviewed before the project’s implementation.
“The study was the basis of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan for the resolution and the memorandum of agreement with the province,” he said.
According to Yabes, the project is “not entirely different,” with other recommendations, such as flood control, being followed.
“The plan came from the DPWH along with the recommendation to open the navigation channel. This is what the contractor is following now,” he added.
Siringan, in his expert statement during the inquiry, questioned the scale of the operation if the goal was simply to facilitate vessel passage.
“Dredgers do not have 20-meter drafts. They have relatively shallow drafts, probably around five meters. So, it’s possible to find a path that requires only a small amount of dredging,” he said.
Despite expert and community concerns, Yabes said the project will proceed. According to him, officials at the March 25 inquiry were satisfied with the DPWH’s explanations, adding that some communities in Caoayan have reported reduced flooding since the project began.# nordis.net
Some Ilokano quotes were translated into English and shortened for clarity and brevity. One interviewee’s name was changed at his request to protect his privacy.