CALAMBA CITY, LAGUNA — Outrage is mounting in Calamba City after flash floods inundated parts of Pansol on Saturday, July 12, 2025, with residents and environmental advocates blaming ongoing quarrying operations on Mount Makiling for the disaster.
In a viral Facebook Live video captured by local resident Michael Mapa, powerful torrents of floodwater are seen sweeping through residential streets, prompting panic and urgent calls for government intervention.
Residents claim that while heavy rainfall triggered the flooding, the scale and intensity were exacerbated by soil erosion and disrupted water flow caused by quarrying-induced deforestation on the slopes of Mount Makiling.
“This never used to happen,” said one local. “The quarrying was halted during Mayor Timmy Chipeco’s time. Now it’s back, and the community is paying the price.”Mount Makiling, once blanketed in dense forest, is now visibly bald in certain sections — a stark reminder of recent land-clearing and excavation activities.
The mountain, a declared national park since 1933 and an ASEAN Heritage Park since 2013, is a vital ecological zone home to hundreds of endemic plant and animal species.
The legality of the ongoing quarrying remains unclear.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), through its Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), has yet to confirm if any national permits were issued.
However, local reports suggest the Calamba City government may have allowed the operations through local authorization, raising questions about oversight and accountability.
Environmental advocates warn that continued exploitation of the mountain could lead to more frequent and severe flooding, soil instability, and irreversible damage to the ecosystem.
“We are not just losing biodiversity — we are putting communities in danger,” said one advocate. “The floods in Pansol are not just natural disasters. They’re man-made, and they’re preventable.”
Frustrated by the lack of immediate government response, some residents living near the quarry site are now planning to appeal directly to Laguna Governor Sol Aragones.
They are calling on the provincial government to step in, investigate the incident, and take concrete action to halt the quarrying.
As of press time, neither the DENR nor the Calamba City government has issued a formal statement addressing the flooding or the quarrying controversy.
Residents and environmental groups are demanding a suspension of quarry activities, a full investigation into permits and responsibilities, and urgent conservation measures to rehabilitate Mount Makiling and safeguard vulnerable communities.