Environmental groups intensify anti-mining drive
Multi-sectoral groups on Panay and Guimaras islands vowed to muster their forces to put a stop to mining activities and to prevent the approval of pending mining applications on the various parts of Panay and Guimaras.
The group gathered at the Bethel Temple in Iloilo City yesterday to plan out their actions regarding the matter. The multi-sectoral groups include Defend Patrimony-Panay, Madiaas, Karapatan, Iglesia Filipina Independiente, Bayan Muna, Bayan-Panay, Global Baptist Peace Network, Young Christian Workers, Promotions of Church People’s Response and Convention of the Philippine Baptist Churches.
Father Andy Mark Loma of Iglesia Filipina Independiente-Guimaras chapter said although their local government unit is very active in monitoring mining applications still nothing happened to stop these mining companies from pursuing their intentions since the approval comes from the national government.
He also cited the recent mining exploration in Maayon, Capiz which according to him could bring a lot of “bad environmental effects to our place such as floods and landslide.”
It was learned earlier through the presentation of Ms. Geobelyn Lopez of Madiaas-Panay during the launching of Defend Patrimony-Capiz in Roxas City that the island of Panay and Guimaras are not spared from the implementation of the mining liberalization program of the national government.
She presented that as of August 2009, the records from the Mines and Geo-sciences Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) showed the total approved mining rights on the islands covered 22,628.92 hectares.
Lopez explained that the commencement of mine development and exploitation of these approved permits pose a threat to the environment and the people’s livelihood. It will further diminish the already dwindling forest cover of 17.2% in Panay and 0.67% in Guimaras.
She added that the province of Capiz has the largest approved mining permit rights covering 10,510.2 hectares with Teresa Marble Corporation, Quarry Ventures Phils., Inc., and Walter Mining & Industrial Development Corporation.
Pending applications for mining rights in Capiz stood at 63,285.94 hectares which according to Lopez is a serious threat to the already 9.35% precarious forest cover of the province and to the livelihood of the people.
“In Guimaras, the approved mining application covers 1,794.6 hectares. But pending application for mining rights is 34,663.9 hectares – almost sixty percent of the total land area of the island which was once affected by the oil spill disaster in 2006,” she noted.
Iloilo has 8,954.06 hectares approved mining rights while Aklan and Antique has 334.81 and 1,035.2 hectares, respectively.
Part of the activities to be undertaken by the multi-sectoral group is the conduct of a massive signature campaign against mining activities.