AN OPPOSITION councilor is proposing the creation of a survey assessment task force (SATF) to validate the economic needs of the four hinterland barangays of Cagayan de Oro City.

Councilor Roger Abaday pushed for the creation of the task force in the regular session of the City Council on Tuesday as a product of the dialogue he attended last August 8 in Barangay Tuburan, Cagayan de Oro City.

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The proposed resolution urges City Mayor Constantino Jaraula “to create a survey assessment task force for the socio-economic needs for the four barangays in the hinterlands namely: Taglimao, Tuburan, Pigsag-an, Tumpagon and providing funds thereof.”

Last August 8, this year, a dialogue was held among the officers and board of directors of the Miners Association Iponan River, residents of the four barangays, Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), Kagayan Watershed Alliance (Kawal), Clenro, Philippine National Police (PNP) and a tribal chieftain of the city’s tribal council at the multipurpose hall of Barangay Tuburan.

The stakeholders, Abaday said, discussed the illegal mining activities in the area and the on-going apprehensions of the MGB and PNP. The lumads claimed that City Hall had failed to extend social services to them, the reason they have opted to illegal mining.

In the proposed resolution, it claimed “that the role of the City Government is not certain especially in socio-economic environmental programs likewise, it failed to provide for the full, efficient and rights—based use and natural resources to abate poverty, and promote employment.”

Residents, they claimed, are left with no alternative than to engage in mining activities “discounting its legality” just to earn a living.

Councilor Cesar Ian Acenas, chair of the committee of environment counter, proposed that the resolution is best deferred to the committee level since “the mayor usually refer resolutions like these back to us.”

With this, Abaday yielded to Acenas’ proposition but cited the committees should consider the urgency of the matter. He said residents in the hinterlands have agreed to stop their illegal mining activities if given alternative livelihoods. (CBC)