By Jonathan L. Mayuga
MANY key biodiversity areas (KBA) in the Philippines remain unprotected despite their status as a protected area (PA) covered by the National Integrated Protected Area System (Nipas) Act, environmental groups said.
The Philippine Misereor Partnership Inc. (PMPI), a network of over 250 non-governmental organizations, blamed the poor implementation of the Nipas Act for the deterioration of some PAs.
Ed Garingan, project manager of PMPI, cited the case of the Manicani Island, a KBA and covered by the Guiuan Bay Protected Landscape and Seascape, which continue to experience environmental degradation despite its status as a PA.
The Guiuan Bay Protected Landscape and Seascape by virtue of Presidential Proclamation 469, signed by former President Fidel V. Ramos, declared the the coastal areas of Guiuan and the neighboring islands, such as Manicani, Candulo, Suluan, Tubabao, Calicoan and Homonhon and their surrounding reefs, as a protected landscape and seascape in 1994.
Even with its status as a PA, Garingan said Manicani has not been spared by key players and backers of large-scale mining, who appeared to have found a way to bend the law mandating the island’s protection and conservation.
The island’s ecosystem has been severely damaged by the operation of a large scale nickel mine for almost two decades. He said that even today, despite the declaration of the Guiuan Bay Protected Landscape and Seascape as a PA by virtue of Presidential Proclamation 469 in 1994, and an order stopping large scale operation on the island in 2002 issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), mining activities continue in the area.
“What we are fighting for is for the government to uphold the status of the island as a protected area. It should be protected against all forms of destructive activities,” Garingan said.
Garingan lamented that the DENR and the local government of Guiuan seemingly have flashed the green light for the proponent of the mining project to haul stockpiles of nickel ore in the island to the dismay of concerned residents. Hauling of stockpiles, Garingan said, is by itself part of mining operation, which fueled fears that the destructive mining operation in the island will eventually resume.
Last year the Diocese of Borongan called the attention of DENR officials led by Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje and Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) Director Leo L. Jasareno the issue raised by concerned residents of the island.
In a letter dated August 18, 2015, members of the Borongan clergy expressed fear that the DENR and the MGB will eventually of lifting the current suspension order issued against the Hinatuan Mining Corp. (HMC) to lift the suspension order and allow the company to resume mining operation.
They said events that unfolded over the past two years led them to believe that the attempt of the mining company to resume operation is gaining ground.
The Office of the Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery has written Jasareno dated June 23, 2014, endorsing the request for lifting of the suspension order.
The MGB Regional Office 8 has forwarded to the MGB central office a memorandum dated June 25, 2014, recommending the disposition of the nickel ore stockpiles to “prevent siltation problems.”
Subsequently, the Multipartite Monitoring Team and the Rehabilitation Fund Committee has forwarded to the mining regulatory body resolutions recommending the disposition of the nickel ore stockpiles.
On the other hand, local officials of Barangay Buenavista issued Resolution 17, Series of 2014, recognizing and supporting the authorization to dispose nickel ore stockpile issued by Jasareno to HMC.
The local governments of barangays Buenavista, Hamorawon, San Jose and Banaag have issued a manifestation of support to the authority to dispose nickel ore stockpile issued by the MGB to HMC.
Worse, the Protected Area Management Board has issued a Resolution 001, Series of 2014, recommending for the approval to a casuseway-pier applied for special use agreement within protected area and/or foreshore-lease agreement by HMC.
The DENR-Borongan has also granted the HMC a special land use permit for the use of the existing causeway-pier as berthing area.
“The above-mentioned events reinforced our fears and apprehensions regarding the mining status in the Diocese of Borongan and have rekindled our long standing resolve that mining should be permanently stopped, including the loading of the existing stockpiles in the island of Manicani,” the clergy wrote.
The island, they said, has an area of 1,165.89 hectares with no major water sources. The island’s residents depend on rain for water. With the impending operation of mining, it is certain that access to potable water will be a major problem of the people, they said.
According to Garingan, residents of island have witnessed the massive destruction of the island’s environment because of the nickel mining operation.
The mining company, residents said, has a bad record, which include operating without necessary permit and extracting nickel ore beyond what is allowed by the government.
PMPI called on the DENR and local officials to permanently ban mining in the island and uphold its status as a KBA and PA.