By Robert B. Roque, Jr.
“The battle for environmental protection and against open-pit mining methods in South Cotabato is not over.”
This, folks, is what Marbel Bishop Cerilo Casicas said even after Governor Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. vetoed on June 3 the Sangguniang Panlalawigan’s amendment to the Environment Code that would have lifted the ban on open-pit mining.
The issue centers, of course, on the province’s Tampakan Copper-Gold Project, touted to be worth $5.9-billion or about P300 billion.
In March, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) OIC Secretary Jim O. Sampulna declared that the national government would respect the outcome of the public hearings conducted by the Provincial Board of South Cotabato. But the sly action of the SP, which railroaded its resolution right after the elections, had drawn thousands of outraged residents marching in the streets of Koronadal.
Had Gov. Tamayo not been bombarded by the protests and calls from the church and various advocacy groups that included AGHAM and Defend Tampakan, the shameless and deliberate maneuver of the SP would have given Sagittarius Mines, Inc. or SMI the go-signal to extract minerals using the open-pit mining method.
In a recent post, my friend, former Mindanao Development Authority chairman Manny Pinol said the decision to allow such mining operations in Tampakan should not be exclusive to the Provincial Board of South Cotabato since the issue transcends political boundaries.
“People have to understand that any environmental damage or mining accident caused by the mining operations will affect people living downstream, especially those whose livelihood depends on Lake Buluan, Liguasan Marsh, and the tributaries,” Pinol pointed out.
Earlier, AGHAM said: “It bears emphasizing that thousands of residents would be displaced, five major rivers or tributaries would be contaminated, the only remaining canopy forest in the region would be destroyed, and at least 33,000 hectares of ricefields in Koronadal Valley would be affected.”
Now that the governor has vetoed the measure on account of “being prejudicial to the public welfare and inimical to the overall interest of all South Cotabateños,” Bishop Casicas wants it to stick.
On this matter, Firing Line amplifies the appeal of the prelate to legislators “not to override the veto” and not to allow themselves to be carried away by business and political pressures.
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SHORT BURSTS. For comments or reactions, email firingline@ymail.com or tweet @Side_View. Read current and past issues of this column at https://www.thephilbiznews.com
