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Sunday, March 13, 2005
Guv dares logging critics to debate
By Ben Serrano
CANTILLAN, Surigao del Sur -- Claiming he was already fed up about the environmentalist groups continuing anti-mining and logging stance Surigao del Sur Governor Vicente Pimentel, Jr. challenged them to a public debate on the raging issues about logging and mining.
Pimentel aired his challenge before DXJR Radyo Ng Bayan in Tandag, Surigao del Sur Saturday morning, saying the church leaders, lumads and environmental groups didn't offer any livelihood and employment alternatives for thousands of jobless people in the Caraga Region.
The governor said he wants a "friendly debate" in a public setting and added that if possible it would be held at the public plaza here fronting the Municipal Hall of Tandag and the Tandag Roman Catholic Cathedral.
Pimentel said this would enable people to take a full view while listening to both sides air their views about logging and mining.
"Or better still let these oppositors on mining and logging be the one to provide employment. So that I can be free from daily headaches I encounter of finding ways how to provide jobs for thousands of my provincemates", Pimentel added.
The Surigao del Sur provincial government except for a few officials are determined to open both mining and logging operations either by local and foreign investors.
Australia's Queensland Nickel Mining Corporation (QNI) is set to open mining operations in Carasscal town after the mining firm saw huge potential and deposit of mineral chrome and nickel in the area.
QNI is in tandem for the mining operations with local construction and development firm, Pimentel Construction and Development Corp. owned by the brothers of the Surigao del Sur governor.
A Chinese mining firm based in mainland China that is set to open on a P1-B investment for nickel mining operations in the mothballed Philippine Nickel Corporation (PhilNico) in Nonoc Island, Surigao City this year.
The mining firm together with local government unit officials are talking with the Assets Privatization Trust officials for special arrangements that will lead for the re-opening operations of the bankrupt PhilNico.
PhilNico incurrred huge debts from its local and foreign creditors including the back wages of the mining workers who were laid off after the firm declared bankruptcy to the government that eventually lead to its total closure.
Earlier Fr. Francisco Olvis, Parish Priest of St. Vincent Ferrer Parish in Carmen, Surigao del Sur told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro that the the employment mining and economic benefits that mining and logging industry provides are miniscule compared to the destruction it can generate to the communities where logging and mining are hosted.
He said the Catholic Bishop's Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) issued an official stand through a pastoral letter titled " What happened to our Motherland?" distributed to all its churches nationwide which clearly manifest the strong anti-mining and logging stance of the Roman Catholic church leaders and faithful. |
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