ENVIRONMENT Secretary Lito Atienza has ordered the indefinite suspension of tree-cutting on Sibuyan Island.

Atienza issued the directive a day after announcing that an investigation into the alleged rampant violation of small-scale mining companies on Sibuyan continue to cause the degradation of the island’s forest.

Sibuyan is considered as one of the most biologically diverse areas in the country.

Environment groups have been clamoring for a stop to the mining activities on the island, which are supposed to be under the category of “small-scale mining” that don’t need or require the use of heavy equipment or the cutting of trees.

The pressure on the Department of Natural Resources (DENR) mounted after the killing of an environmentalist, councilor Armin Marin, who was shot by a security guard of Sibuyan Nickel Properties Development Corp. early this month.

Marin, 42, was among the picketeers against another mining company in San Fernando town when personnel of Sibuyan Nickel happened to pass by.

Marin allegedly assaulted the Sibuyan Nickel personnel, leading to the shooting. He was allegedly shot by security guard Mario Kingo.

Residents of the town of San Fernando as well as neighboring towns in Romblon have been asking the DENR to stop the operations of Sibuyan Nickel owing to the alleged violation of environmental laws, notably the massive cutting of trees.

The company, however, has not started mining operations and is still in the preparation stage.

Atienza announced over the weekend that the DENR investigating the alleged overextraction by small-scale mining companies.

Atienza said he will not hesitate to penalize and stop the operation of abusive small-scale mining companies found guilty of abusing the conditions of their permits.

He also issued the warning in the wake of growing concern over the operations of nickel-mining company SR Metals Inc. (SRMI) in Tubay, Agusan del Norte, which has reportedly far exceeded its allowable annual production of 50,000 metric tons, the extraction ceiling set for any small-scale mining permit.

Small-scale miners are required to secure an Environmental Compliance Certificate from the regional offices of the DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau and submit a Potential Environmental Impact Report, a Final Mine Rehabilitation-Decommissioning Plan, and a Community Development and Management Program  duly approved by the DENR MGB.

The maximum annual production allowed for metallic minerals shall be 50,000 dry metric tons (DMT) of “ore, not the metal itself.”

For nonmetallic minerals, the allowed maximum annual production is 50,000 DMT of the material itself. In terms of area, mining-permit holders and contractors are only allowed a maximum of 20 hectares per permit or contract area.

“If we all follow the law, the mining industry will be beneficial indeed to the country, especially the poor,” Atienza said.

THE National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) will release the documents related to the cancelled national broadband network (NBN) project only if the courts will order the agency to do so.

SUPREME Court (SC) Chief Justice Reynato Puno on Monday enjoined justices and judges in Metro Manila to fully implement the rules governing the issuance of the writ of amparo in order to protect the people’s constitutional rights.

ENVIRONMENT Secretary Lito Atienza has ordered the indefinite suspension of tree-cutting on Sibuyan Island.

RODRIGUEZ (Rizal) Mayor Pedro Cuerpo on Monday declared there won’t be any garbage crisis in Metro Manila, as he condemned the alleged dirty tricks and wild accusations hurled at him by the lawyer of the sanitary-landfill contractor whose attempt to open a 19-hectare garbage dumpsite has been declared unauthorized and illegal by the town government.

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