Semirara mining firm disputes pollution allegations
Caluya Mayor Reynante Lim (left)
examines newly harvested seaweeds
on Semirara Island to dispute claims of
residents that pollution coming from the
Semirara Mining Company have affected
the residents' livelihood.
SEMIRARA ISLAND, Antique—The Semirara Mining Company (SMC) has denied allegations of residents that wastes coming from its mining operations on this island have caused siltation that contaminated and damaged mangrove trees and other coastal resources.
The company instead blamed typhoon “Frank” last year and previous storms for the siltation and the death of mangroves along the Suja Creek in Barangay Semirara, one of the three villages of the island.
“It was the storm that damaged the mangroves and they have already been replanted,” said SMC administrative manager Juniper Barroquillo.
Barroquillo denied the allegations of residents of Barangay Alegria that wastes coming from the company's siltation pond caused polluted coastal resources including mangroves and seaweeds.
He said heavy rains brought by the typhoon triggered a run-off from the 10-meter old coal stockpile near the creek.
The stockpile was left by the then government-operated Semirara Coal Corp. (SCC). The DMCI-owned SMC took over the mining operations on the 5,500-hectare island in 1999.
Barroquillo also denied the allegation of residents contained in a petition that the company's siltation pond has been non-functional for nearly a year.
The company conducts monthly water sampling on its seven-stage siltation pond which serves as the outflow from the coal washing plant, according to Barroquillo. He said the water is already clean by the time it reaches the Suja Creek.
He said they have also decided to transfer the coal washing plant near the Panian coal mine within the year to be more efficient and economical.
Caluya Mayor Reynante Lim also disputed the claims of Alegria residents that their livelihood has been affected. He showed newly harvested seaweeds in Sitio Bigo.
“These are fabricated allegations,” said Lim.
Barroquillo accused the residents led by Alegria village chief Roland Lavega of maligning the company to pressure it in handing out livelihood assistance amounting to around P120,000 per family.
But Lavega said San Pedro is “twisting the issue.”
“The residents never asked for money. We have never been against the mining operations of the company. We only want our environment and livelihood protected,” Lavega said in a telephone interview on Friday.
Lavega maintained that the cause of siltation and the death of mangroves was coming from the coal washing plant. But he said the area where the dead mangroves were located have been bulldozed, planted with coconut trees and fenced by the company.
Freddie Magtoto, Community Environmental and Resource Officer (Cenro) in Semirara also denied that the siltation and death of mangroves were caused by the wastes from the mining company.
He said the SMC has also conducted mangrove reforestation covering 184.3 hectares as of December 2007.
The barangay council of Semirara has also passed a resolution refuting the allegations of residents of Alegria. While it acknowledged that nearly 3 hectares of mangroves were damaged, it said the siltation was caused by previous typhoons including “Caloy” and “Frank.”
But Bienvenido Lipayon, regional director of the Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, said his office has directed the Multi-Partite Monitoring team to validate the allegations on March 16-18.
The company has also been directed to submit its detailed plans for the transfer of its coal washing plant.
The transfer of the washing plant is among the demands of the petitioners. They also asked for the implementation of a rehabilitation program for the affected areas and provide alternative livelihood for the residents.
Their petition was endorsed on November 20, 2008 by the Antique provincial board which asked the intervention of President Macapagal-Arroyo, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, House Speaker Prospero Nograles and Environment Secretary Jose “Lito” Atienza.
The board's endorsement was dismissed by Antique Gov. Salvacion Zaldivar-Perez as a handiwork of her political opponents.