TACLOBAN CITY—The damage is ubiquitous. The once verdant hill that has provided food and livelihood for the residents in the island for generations is now bare, and mud is everywhere. Patches of land where root crops and vegetables once grew were all destroyed.
Manicani Island, a tiny island of 1,165 hectares off the southernmost tip of Samar Island, is inside a rich biodiverse marine area called Guiuan Protected Landscape and Seascape, a marine reserve protected by law under Presidential Proclamation 469 issued in 1994 by former President Fidel V. Ramos.
Another presidential order, Executive Order 79, signed by former President Benigno S. Aquino III in 2012, added tooth as it banned mining activities within protected areas under mining no-go zones.
Environmentalists and conservationists have been fighting for the preservation of the small island from destructive activities, such as open-pit mining, and they successfully blocked mining operations since 2002, prompting the provincial government of Eastern Samar to declare a total ban of large-scale mining operations in the province in 2005.
The mining company, Hinatuan Mining Corp. (HMC), has been lobbying for an extension of its soon-to-expire mining permit, asking for another 25 years of operation. Its mineral production sharing agreement (MPSA) expires on October 28, which is good news for residents in the area.
However, on October 9, the provincial board of Eastern Samar made a sudden change of heart. Now, it is not only endorsing the extension of HMC’s mining operations for another 25 years, but is also asking the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) to lift the suspension order.
In a resolution sponsored by the environment committee, the provincial board said evidence showed that “HMC has been responsible and proactive in attending to our environment and social concerns, and it is apparent that some of the issues previously raised for the suspension lack scientific basis”.
“HMC has committed itself to emulate the best practices of Nickel Asia in Rio Tuba, Palawan, especially on the rehabilitation, employment generation, social and health services and community development in Manicani,” said the committee, headed by Board Member Jaime.
The board’s resolution also noted that, for “15 years, our constituents have already lost the opportunity to benefit from sustainable and responsible mining as practiced by HMC—from lost income to lost social-development management programs to lost CSR [corporate social responsibility] projects and activities”.
“The renewal of the MPSA and resumption of mining operations will greatly benefit our community through the employment of our people and implementation of various programs of HMC,” it added.
“The resolutions passed by the four barangays, and the SB of Guiuan are concrete manifestations that our constituents are in favor of the renewal of the MPSA and resumption of HMC’s mining operations,” the board resolution added.
Eight board members unanimously approved the resolution with only one voting against it, acting Vice Gov. Jonas Abuda, who temporarily relinquished his post as presiding officer of the session to cast his vote against the promining resolution.
The HMC operation in Manicani was suspended by the MGB-Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in May 2001, amid mounting complaints of destruction to ecosystem in the island.
The endorsement of the provincial board for HMC to continue mining operations met protests from many sectors, particularly environmental groups and the clergy of the diocese.
“From 2002 until 2017, the suspension order was not lifted. This means they have a violation. So why endorse an extension of its operation when there is a clear violation committed and the track record is not good?” asked Fr. Alex Galo, a former parish priest in Manicani Island.
Environmental group Philippine-Misereor Partnership Inc. (PMPI), in a statement, said it was “dismayed and in utter disbelief” of the hasty endorsement the provincial board gave to the mining company.
PMPI is urging Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu “to disapprove outright HMC’s application for MPSA renewal in Manicani”.
“[The] DENR should not even consider approving the application for renewal of the same company that was not even able to submit a Final Mine Rehabilitation and Decommissioning Plan for the same project. More important, allowing the renewal of the same MPSA that [the] DENR itself suspended in 2002 poses a question on the ability and integrity of the agency to implement its mandate,” PMPI said.
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NO need to have a mining operation in Manicani Guiuan Eastern Samar. Guys NO NO NO