Mayor opposes mining in city

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

DAVAO City Mayor Sara Duterte said she is against mining in Davao City as it "will only cause numerous socio-economic and environmental problems."

During her induction as the chair the Regional Development Council (RDC) for Davao Region, the mayor said she would be as decisive as the head of RDC 11 as she is as city mayor, saying she will always be against mining.

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"We will really not allow mining in Davao City because it will only bring more problem than solution of society," Duterte said.

The mayor said mining will only bring problems on "environment, insurgency, child labor, health hazards, (and) disasters."

She also expressed her support to a bill of the House of Representatives amending the power given to the local government in allowing mining in their area.

Since other provinces allow, Duterte said that as RDC chair, she can only give her advice and opinion because the local chief executive of the local government has the last say on whether they would allow mining in their area.

"Just look at our neighbors (other provinces). Mining brings more problem than the progress expected out of it," she said.

President Benigno Aquino III appointed the mayor as chair of the RDC in Davao Region.

Engr. Vicente Lao, who is also president of the Mindanao Business Council and the Mindanao Power Alliance, is seated as Duterte's co-chairperson.

The vice chairperson is Ma. Lourdes Lim, acting chair and regional director of the National Economic Development Authority (Neda) in Davao Region; and Acting Secretary is Noel Quiratman.

Opposite opinion

Lao on Wednesday meanwhile expressed his support to mining and having a coal fire power plant in Mindanao, which is opposite to the city mayor's opinion.

He, however, said he remains positive that with the mayor's and his leadership as chair and co-chair of the RDC, respectively, will complement each other.

"I think there is a healthy combination there. You cannot always look at an issue from a political perspective. You also have to look at it in a financial viability for a project to be viable. It has to be financially stable," Lao said.

"You have to remember that our chair is a politician. In my case since I am not a politician. I look at it objectively. I think we can work together effectively. I can provide the non political side of issue. Then she can look at it on the political side," he said.

Lao agreed that mining is not viable for Davao City but is highly recommended to neighboring provinces in the region.

While the city mayor has expressed that she personally objects the coal-fired power plant proposed by energy giant Aboitiz Company, Lao said he is highly supportive of the project.

"I'm not saying our civil society is not practical but these are the things we have to balance. I was telling the Mayor, since she knows I support coal fire plant, I told her 'Look Mayor imagine yourself two or three years from now and the whole of Mindanao having four to five hours of brownout. We are lucky here in Davao but in other areas they've experience eight to ten hours. If you have imbedded a 200 megawatt plant in Davao and you can guarantee investors you will not have brownout, imagine the market for Davao," he said.

Lao added he has also talked to the Aboitiz Company, saying that he would highly support if the latter "would find means for a cleaner fuel." (JCZ)