Bukidnon solon to bring environment programs in Senate
If given a chance to sit as one of the senators in the Senate, Bukidnon Representative Neric Acosta said he will continue and bring his programs on environment which he started during his 9-year stay in the Lower House.
Acosta disclosed this in a press conference during the recent (October 9) visit of Senators Noynoy Aquino and Mar Roxas in Iloilo City. Acosta was in Iloilo City with Aquino and Roxas along with three other confirmed senatorial candidates of the Liberal Party, namely, party chairman Franklin Drilon, Cong. Ruffy Biazon and Akbayan representative Riza Hontiveros.
Aside from being a major sponsor on the legislation of major environmental legislation on clean water, solid waste management, biodiversity protection and the principal author of the groundbreaking Clean Air Act that has become a model of environmental legislation in Asia, Acosta also said he will also give emphasis on the mining issue in the country.
Knowing that Panay Island including that of Guimaras island-province has been a target of mining explorations and related activities, he said though he is not really that anti-mining but he said mining should be balanced wherein the local government unit has the right to prevent any related activities if it thinks its place is at risk.
“I’m not that anti mining per se, we use our laptop, we have our cars and these are all because of mining so I am not that purest anti-mining in all things,” Acosta explained.
“Despite the fact that we have the richest mineral resources in Asia, we also cannot continue this way, that we do not speak of our future and that we see all our minerals as money and money and not an ecological concern,” he stressed.
“If our environment will be damaged, can we afford to sacrifice our clean water and fresh air? Can we buy in a supermarket? There’s no price for it,” Acosta noted.
He said it is truly a responsibility to sustain our environment operations. For him, mining is a strategic national issue that is one area where he believed we really have to work on to a larger national framework.
Acosta said it is necessary that both national and local government should have a responsibility in the approval of mining activities.
“It is difficult to divulge it all. Ma-Diwalwal tayo, in Mindanao, small scale mining is very rampant. More slant of killing because of it. Pollution, toxic and are very imminent,” he explained.
“We should need an over-all national strategy for mining,” he said as to his personal position on the issue.