At protest site in Tanjay City CHR won't tackle complaints until 'mining' row is resolved

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines — The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) in Negros Oriental has warned that it will not entertain any complaints in relation to the impasse at the "black sand mining" controversy at the dredging project site in Tambacan of Tanjay City, this province.

CHR special investigator Jesus Cañete said it will be a waste of time and useless for him to accommodate such complaints for as long as the issue on the "mining" row will not be solved.

Cañete said that, while the contractor for the so-called dredging and the local government unit of Tanjay City may have obtained the necessary permits, such as the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) from the DENR, he believed that there was "blunder" from the very start of the project.

They (the contractor, Sino-Italy Philippines, Inc.) and the Tanjay City LGU "failed or rather deliberately ignored one essential element": Conduct of proper consultation with the people, Cañete said.

During a meeting in Tanjay, attended by concerned parties, the LGU presented a resolution from the barangay council of Poblacion Barangay 4, where the project site is located, signed by Tambacan officials. However, Cañete did not believed the resolution carried the sentiment of the people.

"I believe there was no consultation with the people, otherwise, they would not be complaining now and the ongoing protest action in Tambacan would not have taken place," he said.

On the mineral processing plant erected in Tambacan, Cañete commented that this should be taken down, because if the project was for dredging alone, then there would be no need for high-end equipment and an operations plant.

On human rights violations, Cañete said he could not blame the police for exercising their mandate to maintain peace and order at the protest site, where residents put up barricades to prevent employees of Sino-Italy access to the site.

Cañete however said he also could not hold the residents accountable of any "violations" because they were merely exercising their "right."

The barricading of the access road in Tambacan was only a side issue and what bore more weight on the controversy is for the LGU to submit to the people's will, he said, adding that the people were denied of their right to information, compromising public consultation and government transparency.

Tanjay City officials, headed by Mayor Lawrence Teves, have repeatedly explained and insisted that the multi-million pesos project is to dredge Tanjay River to prevent future flooding. Considering the cost of the project, however, the LGU has inked an agreement with Sino-Italy that whatever minerals obtained in the process of dredging will go to the contractor.

However, many quarters believed that the project was not dredging per se but a full-scale black sand mining operations.

The controversy is now held at bay after Governor Roel Degamo issued a cease-and-desist order until a dredging permit from the provincial government is obtained by Sino-Italy. (FREEMAN)