Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson is asking the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for a special permit to allow commercial clearing of lahar residue from Ibid Creek in Sitio Tamburong, Barangay Biak-na-Bato, La Castellana.
If they just depend on the equipment of the provincial government and La Castellana town, the clearing will take a long time, the governor said on Thursday, Sept. 18.
The work is needed to hasten the clearing of clogged waterways to prevent flooding.
He said there are some commercial contractors interested in the lahar waste but allowing them to clear the creek would need a DENR permit since the area is part of the Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park, which is a protected area.
The contractors would also have to pay the provincial; government for the lahar waste that they remove, Lacson said.*