Wednesday, October 29, 2008 PB urged to act on environment code
KORONADAL CITY -- Around 300 farmers marched around the main streets Friday to deplore the apparent delay in the approval of a provincial environment code that contains a provision banning open pit mining in South Cotabato.
The farmers demanded the immediate approval of the code with the provision on open pit mining ban, which proponents of a huge mining project and Environment Secretary Jose L. Atienza, Jr. want to strike out.
The protesters, which include indigenous peoples, spearheaded by the South Cotabato Farmers' Association, commenced their march at the Provincial Capitol around 1 p.m. However, they were not allowed by security guards to enter the compound.
Felix A. Española, the group's spokesperson, said that striking out the open pit mining ban in the environment code will pave the way for Sagittarius Mines Inc. to operate its huge copper and gold project in the town of Tampakan, South Cotabato.
Still in exploration stage, Sagittarius' mines development site also cuts across the towns of Columbio in Sultan Kudarat and Kiblawan in Davao del Sur.
"The approval of the environment code which bans open pit mining is taking so long," Española said. The farmers' group has just delivered its letter demand to Vice Governor Eliordo U. Ogena, presiding officer of the Provincial Board (PB).
Española said that allowing open pit mining method would have a heavy impact to low-lying farmlands and water systems.
"Farmers would be greatly affected because with open pit mining, erosion of surface soil is likely to occur. Even Lake Buluan [in Maguindanao and Lutayan, Sultan Kudarat] will not be spared by the siltation," he noted.
Lake Buluan, which serves as a catch basin of rainfall and water from the upland, hosts vast fish cages for the production of bangus and tilapia.
Española claimed that some members of the provincial legislative board are now allegedly favoring the environment code's passage but without the provision that prohibits open pit mining in the area.
The action allegedly came after the visit of some PB members to several mining sites in Mindanao some months back and the apparent pressure from the National Government through Atienza, who wrote provincial officials to strike out the open pit ban.
Jose M. Madanguit, chair of the PB committee on environment, took exceptions to the allegations, saying the board's members "could not be swayed by lobby or pressure groups."
"I believe that our board members are independent-minded and votes using their own conviction," Madanguit said.
