Published
February 3, 2017, 10:00 PM by
Vanne Elaine P. Terrazola, Ben R. Rosario, and Leslie Ann G. Aquino
The government has
closed down two more mining operations as it continued its crackdown on mining
firms violating environmental laws.
The Department of
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Thursday announced the that Benguet
Corporation has been ordered ordered to cease operations in Benguet province
and the Ore Asia Mining and Development Corporation in Bulacan .
The two firms join the
list of 21 operations ordered stopped by DENR Secretary Gina Lopez, mostly for
operating near functional watersheds.
Lopez has ordered 41
metal mines around the country audited for violations.
Five companies — Oceana
Gold Philippines, Inc., Lepanto Consolidated Mining, Citinickel Mines and
Development Corp., Berong Nickel Corp., and Strong Built Mining Development
Corp. — remain suspended.
The DENR said it
started issuing suspension and closure orders to the mining firms Thursday. It
said the companies can appeal the orders.
On Friday, Speaker
Pantaleon Alvarez led congressional leaders in assuring Lopez they fully
support her decision to shut down or suspend mining firms, some of which are
allegedly owned by influential politicians.
Alvarez said a radio
interview Lopez’s decision is justified despite warnings from the mining
industry that the crackdown will trigger massive unemployment and worsen
poverty in mining communities.
Alvarez said the DENR
chief is correct in penalizing mining firms that violate environmental laws,
saying it must be done no matter who gets hurt.
He said he has not been
approached by anyone for help to stop Lopez, but stressed that he would reject
such requests.
He said there is no
lobby for the rejection of Lopez’s confirmation as DENR secretary before the
Commission on Appointments.
Bayan Muna Rep. Isagani
Zarate, chairman of the Committee on Natural Resources, called for the swift
enforcement of the DENR suspension and closure orders of companies that have
caused massive damage to the environment and the livelihood of people.
“The constant
monitoring of the five suspended mines should also be done for them to strictly
comply with environmental laws,” Zarate said in a statement.
“All the concerned
companies should now also be ordered to pay for the damages and compensation
for those affected by their destructive operations and for the rehabilitation
of the areas,” he said
He added: “Massive
environmental destruction can be stopped or at least drastically minimized by
overhauling environmental and mining laws through the junking of the Mining Act
of 1995. Now is the time to replace the current mining regime with a new one,
like House Bill 2715 or the People’s Mining Bill now being deliberated in
Congress.”
Lopez has also earned
the backing of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
Father Edu Gariguez,
executive secretary of the CBCP’s social action arm, the National Secretariat
for Social Action Justice & Peace, lauded the decision of the DENR for
choosing to protect the environment over business interest.
“No administration in
the past had seriously address this issue of ecological protection,” Gariguez
said in an interview.
“By keeping Secretary
Gina Lopez at the helm of DENR, the administration is making a clear statement
in favor of the protection of the environment over business interest,” he
added.
Even the order of
President Duterte for a total log ban earned praise from the priest.
“We affirm and commend
Duterte’s administration for its policy direction that protects our fragile
ecosystems threatened by large scale mining and logging,” Gariguez said.
He urged the government
to find jobs for mining workers displaced by the closure and suspension orders.
“But we just can’t
continue the distorted policy of destroying the environment in order to provide
jobs,” Gariguez said.
Duterte ordered the
total log ban following the massive flooding in Mindanao last month.
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