WHAT WILL it mean for the people of Antique when seven thousand hectares of contiguous mountains in southern Antique are declared a mineral reservation area?
The Philippine Mining Act allows the Director of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau to recommend to the President the establishment of mineral reservations “when the national interest so requires, such as when there is a need to preserve strategic raw materials for industries critical to national development, or certain minerals for scientific, cultural or ecological value.”
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What this implies is that mining operations may subsequently be undertaken in the area by the government itself, “or through a contractor.”
The national internal revenue code empowers government to collect excise taxes from mineral products.
Will money for government coffers outweigh the perceived deleterious effects that large-scale mining activities will inflict upon the environment?
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In November last year the MGB conducted a perfunctory public hearing in San Remigio, Antique, which according to observers did nothing more than sell the idea to barangay leaders.
It did not elicit the sentiments of neighboring areas that will likely be affected by mining operations that will straddle the upland areas of Patnongon, Valderrama, San Remegio and Sibalom.
These mountains also shove water to the Sibalom river watershed that supplies the drinking needs of Belison and the capital town of San Jose de Buenavista.
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Mining operations can pollute the water with sediments, disrupt its regular flow and adversely affect its current pristine quality.
They can also impact farms that rely on the Sibalom river watershed, and potentially present a direct threat to farming livelihoods.
The Amlig Antique Alliance advocates the obvious – our farms “are the backbone of the local economy and essential for food security in the province.”
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Amlig Antique is a coalition of organizations in Antique that seeks to promote development while protecting the environment. It was formed to object to proposals and practices that threaten ecosystems and possibly harm local communities.
The alliance has submitted letters to various government offices opposing the intended mineral reservation in the upland areas because “the people of Southern Antique are still haunted by the devastating effects of typhoons Paeng and Frank, which tragically claimed lives, destroyed properties, and decimated agriculture. These calamities serve as a stark reminder of the consequences when fragile mountain ecosystems are degraded.”
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Bishop Marvyn A. Maceda of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Antique is one of the many who signed the opposition.
The provincial development council has adopted the opposition, which will hopefully be embraced by the Sangguniang Panalalawigan and the rest of the provincial government.
Antique province is favored with a unique landscape and a thriving biodiversity. Development may be anchored on ecotourism and agriculture, without our people taking chances with the dangerous odds that mining offers.
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Is the MGB minded to recommend the mineral reservation to the President despite mounting opposition from the locals?
The national government may do well to heed the voice of the people of Antique who alone will face the consequences of mining operations in the name of gold and copper./PN
