GUIUAN, Easter Samar—Church officials and antimining advocates are unfazed with the decision of the municipal council to approve a resolution supporting the renewal of Hinatuan Mining Corp.’s (HMC) mining operation in the small island of Manicani.
Groups opposing the mining operations said they will challenge HMC’s application for renewal in various levels and will exact accountability from people involved in the irregular issuance of endorsements of local government units (LGUs).
Fr. Juderick Paul Calumpiano, social action director of the Diocese of Borongan, said there are laws that will be violated if the mining permit is renewed, including a provincial ordinance that bans large-scale mining operations in Eastern Samar and an environmental law regulating activities in protected areas.
The mineral production-sharing agreement for an open-pit mining of HMC with the government expires on October 28, and documentary compliance for its renewal for another 25 years of operation is already being processed. The agreement gives the company the right to extract minerals in the whole island.
Calumpiano said they launch a massive information drive in different parishes of the diocese to drum up support against reopening of mining in Manicani.
“Whatever little money gains that the people get from the mining company will never be enough to cover for the destruction it is causing to the environment,” he added. “There may be a few people who gain, but the wider community suffers.”
Last Friday the municipal government reportedly approved a resolution supporting HMC’s renewal of its mining permit. The approval in the municipal level now makes HMC compliant as far as the support of local government is concerned. Earlier it also got a favorable endorsement from the four barangays in the island.
The law requires a mining company to get 2 out of 3 endorsements from the local government before it can be issued a mining permit.
In Tacloban City, the Mines Geoscience Bureau (MGB) regional office has acknowledged receipt of barangay resolutions from four communities giving “favorable endorsement” for the mining company to continue its mineral extraction in Manicani Island.
Raul Laput, officer in charge of MGB regional office, said the resolutions indicate that 98 percent of the residents in the island are in favor of continued mining operations. It has not yet received, though, a copy of the resolution from the municipal council.
He added the final approval will come the head office. “We only do the initial review of documents and initial evaluation. Final approval will be done by the national office,” Laput said.
He added that before a permit is granted, thorough study needs to be done to determine feasibility and if the amount of mineral deposit still warrants a large-scale extraction.
Laput said the mining company also needs to submit an environmental-impact statement and an environmental-clearance certificate before its permit is renewed.
Manicani Island, with a land area of 1,165 hectares, has four barangays. Buenavista is the biggest barangay, and it is where the Catholic chapel is also located.
Fr. Alex Galo, who was the parish priest at San Lorenzo Ruiz Parish in Manicani in 2002 when mining operations were suspended by the environment department, said the government should address first the violations made by HMC that led to its suspension.
He added the track record of the company should be an important consideration whether it will get an extension of its operation or not.
“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?” Galo asked.
Marcial Somooc, a fisherman from Manicani island and chairman of Protect Manicani Island Society Inc., said aside from the destruction that the open-pit mining has created, it also fostered animosity among members of the once closed-knit community, splitting families apart.
“We have nothing to leave to our children as inheritance if we allow the island to be badly damaged,” he added.
On September 22 some priests and antimining organizations held a demonstration in front of the town plaza while the municipal council was deliberating a resolution on whether to endorse the mining company’s extension or not.
Manicani is a small island off the coast of Guiuan, Eastern Samar with a population of over 3,000. With a rich biodiversity from mangrove species to rich marine resources, the island has been declared as part of the Guiuan Protected Landscape and Seascape under Presidential Proclamation 469 issued in 1994 by former President Fidel V. Ramos.
Under the said proclamation, Manicani Island becomes part of the Guiuan Marine Reserve, which makes it under the control and administration of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in coordination with the LGUs, which form part of the Protected Areas Management Board.
Mining activities are banned within protected-areas under the Mining No-Go Zones mandated by Executive Order 79 signed by former President Aquino in 2012.