Cagayan River’s hope

Illegal black sand or magnetite mining may soon be a thing of the past for the province if this new government program called the Cagayan River Rehabilitation Project (CRRP) succeeds.

The project has been described by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources as the  pilot implementation of a landmark, game-changing river restoration policy for environment and river ecosystem protection while undertaking flood control river dredging.

For many centuries now, the Cagayan River, the longest, largest, and widest in the country, has been the lifeblood of the region. However,  environmental degradation has taken its toll on the river, with forest denudation at its watersheds, soil erosion clogging and heavily silting its waterways,  resulting in the  massive flooding during heavy rains brought by typhoons.

Dredging is a key component of the CRRP, which is being spearheaded by the Build Back Better task force led by Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu, along with Public Works Highways chief Mark Villar. The two led the ceremonial start of the river’s rehabilitation last Feb. 2.

According to news reports, a total of 19 sandbars have been identified by the task force, of which three are for priority dredging since they obstruct the floodwater flow to the Aparri Delta and to the Babuyan Channel, which is its final destination. Dredging will hopefully finally solve the perennial flooding problem in Cagayan and nearby Isabela.

The project, which is fully supported by President Duterte, likewise promises to solve the perennial problem of illegal black sand mining by unscrupulous groups. The illegal operations are said to contribute greatly to land erosion and severe flooding.

There had been calls since 2019 for Congress to investigate local dredging firm Pacific Offshore Exploration Inc. for its alleged black sand mining activities in the Cagayan River, together with its Chinese partner Zhong Hai Gravel Group. It is claimed that Pacific and  its Chinese partner are actually mining black sand, using the guise of allegedly dredging to help the province reopen the port.

If the name rings a bell, yes, Zhong Hai owns the dredging vessel which has been cited for illegal and unauthorized presence in Philippine waters more than a year ago. Last week, the Philippine Coast Guard and the Bureau of Customs seized the undocumented MV Zhonhai 68 dredging vessel off Orion Point in Bataan. MV Zhonhai 68 is said to belong to the Zhong Hai Gravel Group and is flying the flag of Sierra Leone in West Africa.

Mining black sand is not illegal because there is no law that expressly prohibits it, but the Mining Act bans mining near reservoirs and protective areas.  What makes it illegal is if it is done without the government and the local communities’ permission.

There is only one that is allowed by DENR in Cagayan province and this is the first-ever large-scale offshore magnetite mining project of JDVC Resources, a company controlled by publicly listed Apollo Global Capital. The mining project is set to start this month off the mouth of the Cagayan River in the Babuyan Strait off Gonzaga, Cagayan.

As the first large-scale, deep-sea mining project in the Philippines, JDVC has secured all the necessary environment, mining, and social permits, including a secured satisfactory community acceptance from nearby local governments and communities.

According to news reports, the deep-sea mining and exploration project will be conducted within JDVC’s 1,897-hectare mining tenement, located 14 kilometers offshore from Gonzaga.

As I’ve said repeatedly, it is illegal miners who are destroying the image of the mining industry. We can’t have all the luxuries of the modern world if companies are not allowed to mine the minerals used to produce these products. Government just has to do its job better in getting rid of illegal mining.

Not a family feud

A reader reacts to my column ‘Family Feud’ published in the Philippine STAR on Jan. 29.

“It’s not a family feud! It’s greed, deception, and avarice in a grand manner. In the case of People of the Philippines vs. David Wong, Davidson Wong, Derrick Wong, Derwin Wong, Dianne Wong, Lucy Chua, Juvy Ting, Susan Lu, Leonardo Marzan, Beverly Ansay and other John Does, they all connived to wrest billions and billions of pesos from a trusting Gaisano family.  No, this can’t be a “one man” job as the Wong family would like to portray.  This is the work of many people with a common evil motive. For Derwin Wong to say that other family members were not involved is, in the street lingo palusot. The public should not be taken for a ride this time. If a corporation is into the business of selling peanuts, corn or chippy, maybe we can agree with the Wong Family that it can be a one-man corporation. But DWCI is a Philippine Stock Exchange registered trading company, which is closely and strictly regulated by PSE.  You need a genius to be able to escape being caught by PSE if one trades illegally. Ask any stock broker, and he will tell you that it is almost impossible to buy and sell stocks of a client without the express consent of the latter. DWCI did it.

“The Wong family and their accomplices, if they wished, can come out from hiding and explain to the court their roles or non-roles. It is up to the courts to decide whether to convict them or not. But let us remember that flight is a sign of guilt.” – Name withheld upon request

Towards a better year

Allianz PNB Life, one of the major life insurers in the Philippines championing sustainability, is looking to help Filipinos bounce back this 2021. And so together with feng shui coach Johnson Chua, the insurer will hold a webinar entitled “Lucky, Healthy You: A Lunar New Year Special” on Feb. 9 at 5:30 p.m.

According to Allianz PNB Life chief marketing office Gino Riola, they want to help Filipinos build a stronger outlook for 2021 by discussing what they can expect from the Year of the Metal Ox, with the ox signifying strength, hard work, and nourishment, all of which are needed for individual and collective progress in the ever-changing normal..

Chua, who has helped many companies drive business growth, will share how Filipinos can harness the energies of good luck and fortune to better prepare them for future challenges and opportunities.

The first 50 attendees to sign up for the webinar will get a chance to win a free personal accident insurance plan worth P50,000, Netflix vouchers, and an Allianz e-bike for the grand prize. To join the webinar, they can register at https://tinyurl.com/AZLPNB02092021.

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