MANILA — The Supreme Court of the Philippines has issued a writ of kalikasan and a temporary environmental protection order (TEPO) to halt illegal quarrying activities in the Angat River-Bustos Dam Forest Reserve in Banaban, Angat, Bulacan.

The High Court directed respondents to immediately cease quarrying, excavation, earth extraction, or any activities that may further harm the watershed area.

A writ of kalikasan is a legal remedy available to individuals, people’s organizations, non-government organizations (NGOs), or public interest groups when their constitutional right to a balanced and healthful ecology is violated.

The Angat River-Bustos Dam Forest Reserve has been protected forest land since 1969 under Proclamation 573 issued by then President Ferdinand Marcos Sr..

In its decision, the SC cited the precautionary principle and technical findings showing that the quarrying activities have “significantly increased surface runoff, erosion, and sedimentation within the watershed system.”

“Reports indicated that these activities have destroyed cultivated crops, vegetation, and fruit-bearing trees that serve as wildlife habitats,” the SC said.

The court noted that even partial alteration of a protected forest reserve or its natural landscape “threatens the stability of the Angat River-Bustos Dam watershed” and poses “serious risks to the life, health, and property of inhabitants in several provinces.”