By Marjuice Destinado
Bulatlat.com

CEBU – The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) said on Tuesday, November 4, that the destruction left by Typhoon Tino, international name Kalmaegi, in Cebu is “not purely a natural disaster” but the result of decades of unregulated quarrying that have weakened the province’s uplands and intensified flooding.

“These impacts are not entirely caused by natural disasters but by decades of environmental degradation,” KMP chairperson Danilo Ramos said in a statement.

He added that Cebu has long faced problems from destructive quarrying, recalling the Cebu City Council’s previous warning that unchecked operations in upland barangays were worsening downstream flooding. The extent of damage from Typhoon Tino, he added, shows how years of “irresponsible and indiscriminate quarrying” have left communities exposed to severe hazards.

“We are witnessing a disaster worsened by plunder and government neglect.” Ramos said.

Typhoon Tino battered the Visayas on Tuesday and left 111 people dead as of 7 pm Wednesday, November 5. Cebu recorded the highest number of casualties, with deaths reported in Liloan (35), Compostela (25), Cebu City (12), Mandaue City (12), Danao City (9), Talisay City (7), Balamban (6), Asturias (2), Consolacion (1), Bantayan (1), and Tabogon (1). Many victims were swept away by rising waters or trapped when soaked slopes collapsed into landslides.

In Metro Cebu, the Butuanon River overflowed and inundated communities in Basak, Mandaue and parts of Cebu City’s North District. 

Residents said the river’s riprap “collapsed within minutes,” with local officials confirming that nearly 95 percent of riverside structures in the district were destroyed. Homes along creeks and waterways were carried off by strong currents, leaving entire sitios unrecognizable.

KMP said these incidents reflect long-standing findings of environmental groups and local councils that quarrying in upland areas has accelerated surface run-off, destabilized slopes, and weakened natural barriers that once protected low-lying barangays from severe flooding.

Quarry operations have persisted for years in municipalities and cities such as Asturias, Balamban, Carcar, Dalaguete, Danao, and Toledo, supplying limestone, sand, gravel, and materials for Cebu’s construction sector.

The group urged the national and provincial governments to strictly enforce quarry suspensions, investigate operators with unresolved violations, and prioritize long-term watershed rehabilitation. (RTS)