MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Risa Hontiveros is seeking a Senate investigation into the mining activities on Sibuyan Island in Romblon in the hopes that the government will conserve the island’s flora and fauna and protect its residents from ecological devastation.
Hontiveros filed Resolution 459 on Monday, days after the local police forcibly dispersed anti-mining residents who formed a barricade to stop trucks carrying nickel ore from leaving the island. The incident left two residents injured.
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Sibuyanons are resisting the activities of Altai Philippines Mining Company (APMC), saying that mining has no place in a small island ecosystem. They fear mining activities, if allowed to continue, will damage Sibuyan’s forests and river systems, and disrupt the lives of locals.
“We, in the Senate, should help champion the conservation of the island’s endemic flora and fauna, defend its coastal communities from long-term ecological devastation, and protect the residents from violent incursions of mining companies,” Hontiveros said.
“The Senate should hear all stakeholders and unravel the layers of issues that have plagued Sibuyan Island for decades. Large-scale mining is already damaging the environment, and it seems the mining company violated laws in the conduct of its business,” she added.
According to notices of violation posted by Alyansa Tigil Mina, APMC was found violating four laws, which include the country’s water code, the foreshore lease agreement and salvage zone construction activities, the construction of causeway without the proper Environmental Compliance Certificates, and the clearing of trees without a permit.
APMC told Philstar.com on Sunday that it has yet to receive notices of violation issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Mining as an economic strategy
Revitalizing the mining sector — even though the industry only accounts for less than one percent of the country’s gross domestic product — is a priority of the Marcos administration.
Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual said the country was going to increase exports of processed nickel ore as a core economic strategy. The Philippines is the world’s second biggest nickel supplier.
“This economic prospect can urge mining companies to aggressively do business that will undermine the rights and welfare of the people of Sibuyan,” Hontiveros said.
Caritas Philippines — the humanitarian, development and advocacy arm of the Catholic Church — called on APMC and other mining firms to stop destructive mining, and the DENR to prioritize people and nature over socio-economic and political interests.
“If we persist in damaging our only home, there will be no going back and our children, not just us, will bear the consequences of a degraded environment. Let us not pass on this legacy to future generations,” Caritas Philippines said in a statement on Monday.