Public furor growing as start of coal mining in Catanduanes draws near

Business Mirror

Published on Thursday, 11 April 2013 20:14

Written by Manly M. Ugalde / Correspondent

VIRAC, Catanduanes—People in the island province of Catanduanes, led by Catholic Bishop Manolo de los Santos, are expressing fear of economic and environmental devastation once  coal mining starts in the area.

De los Santos cited the probable loss of the province’s remaining virgin forests and the province’s abaca industry once an Australian-Indonesian mining firm begins its coal-mining operation.

Public concern started when the residents of Catanduanes learned that Malacañang stated favoring granting a permit to operate to the multinational Altura Mining for a 7,000-hectare coal mining operation affecting the towns of Bagamanoc, Panganiban, Viga and Caramoran. Catanduanes has only 11 towns.

De los Santos said Catanduanes residents have reason to fear should the government allow the Australian-Indonesian firm to explore mineral resources in the province, saying it could be disastrous. He said he could never agree with the few mining backers and supporters over the claim of “responsible mining.” 

“We simply cannot allow mining to destroy the province,” he said.

Quoting Albay Gov. Joey Sarte Salceda’s thesis about mining, de los Santos said “there are no provinces pestered by mining operation that had been economically emancipated citing Masbate, home of a gold mining operation.”

Statistics from the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) tagged Masbate as one of the poorest provinces, with the highest number of beneficiaries in Bicol from the government’s pro-poor Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.

A known environmentalist and anti-mining advocate, Salceda lamented the small amount of taxes host provinces get from mining operations, citing that in the end, mining operators enjoy dollars salted outside the country with the poor host provinces left behind with a terribly damaged environment.

Altura Mining is the 33rd mining firm that had shown interest to explore   Catanduanes after the government and mining experts reportedly found Catanduanes coal as the best, most desirable, and the hardest coal in the country. It was characterized by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in 2006 with a heating value twice as those produced in other coal-producing provinces.

In Vancouver, Canada, Catanduanes residents Evelyn Manlangit and Teddy Traqueña called up to express strong protest over reports that Catanduanes is set to allow the start of coal-mining operations in the province.

“Coal mining will be disastrous for a small and depressed province like Catanduanes. Everyone in the province should resist and fight,” said the two overseas Filipino workers in Canada.

At least two attempts in 2009 and 2011 to explore mineral resources such as gold and coal in the province failed to push through following strong protests mounted by residents in areas designated as exploration sites. The mining applicants were eventually driven out of the province.

De los Santos said the report he received indicated that Altura Mining will be allowed to extract 1.2 million tons of coal in a period of five years with the province reportedly getting a projected annual share in the amount of P76 million.

The newly established Catanduanes Sustainable Development Movement (CSDM) said Altura Mining would displace at least 10,000 farmers and fishers who are dependent on abaca-fiber production, tiger grass and coconut production, and crab and milkfish cultivation.

CSDM said coal mining could also affect the operation of three hydropower plants in the area.

CSDM President Eddie Ugalde said, “We could now imagine the many trees and coconuts that would be cut down in the 7,000-hectare exploration sites. Catanduanes’s remaining virgin forests depleted due to illegal logging and cutting would be gone and the gloomy experience it had from severe flooding due to typhoons would never end, making the province barren and empty.”

Gov. Joseph Cua would not answer text messages from the BusinessMirror. A source said the governor and the province’s lone district representative Cesar Sarmiento had shown little concern about the economic and environmental disaster facing the province should coal-mining exploration begin.   source