Calapan priest says dredging in Baco may harm other communities

CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro — A priest and environmental advocate of the Calapan City Diocese urged authorities to pause plans to dredge the Alag–Longos River System in Baco town and address first the project’s far-reaching impacts on coastal communities and entire ecosystems. 

“Reducing flooding is a legitimate goal — but it should not come at the cost of coastal communities, fisheries, and the very environment that sustains them,” argued Fr. Edwin Gariguez, Executive Director of the Diocesan Social Action Center of the Diocese of Calapan, in a social media post.

Gariguez said the Alag and Longos Rivers are not isolated waterways but are interconnected with a broader watershed system that flows toward low-lying areas and coastal communities including Barangay Pulang Tubig. 

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READ: Mindoro town mayor defends river dredging amid ban, opposition

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Sediment carried downstream nourishes estuaries, near-shore habitats, and fishing grounds — supporting the livelihoods of generations of fisherfolk, he said. 

The priest also told the Inquirer in a message on Tuesday that the proposed dredging goes beyond river excavation: it also includes coastal dredging to create channels for barges carrying removed sediment — directly impacting marine and coastal areas. 

The local government of Baco, where the two river systems are located, has been lobbying for the dredging projects. In earlier statements, Baco Mayor Allan Roldan said dredging the rivers would help solve his municipality’s flooding problems. 

“Yet critically, Barangay Pulang Tubig was not recognized as an affected area in the project’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS),” Gariguez pointed out in his message. 

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“Because Pulang Tubig was not identified as an impact area, there has been no proper study of how dredging will affect the estuary, fisheries, sediment movement, coastal processes, and residents’ livelihoods,” the priest explained. 

READ: All dredging activities suspended in Oriental Mindoro

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“Worse, the people who stand to be most directly affected have not been fully consulted or given a meaningful chance to voice their concerns before plans move forward,” he said. 

Gariguez outlined four key risks: “Dredging in estuarine and coastal waters could damage breeding and feeding grounds, reducing fish populations; Stirred-up sediment will cloud waters, harming marine life and lowering fishing yields; Sediment naturally replenishes shorelines, so its removal could leave coasts vulnerable to erosion and sea encroachment; and any decline in fisheries directly threatens families dependent on the sea for food and income.”

READ: Oriental Mindoro halts dredging activities amid environmental concerns

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Gariguez stressed that flood control cannot be pursued in isolation. “We must weigh whether the proposed benefits truly outweigh the risks. We cannot solve one environmental problem by creating another,” the priest said./coa