The Manila Times takes pride in being staunchly green. Our pro-ecology advocacy includes partnership with the Haribon Foundation and other NGOs devoted to the protection of the environment.
This is why we firmly support the provincial and local governments of both Mindoro Oriental and Mindoro Occidental, church leaders, the nongovernmental organizations and the Mangyans who oppose the continuation of the Mindoro Nickel Project (MNP) of Intex Resources Philippines Inc. (IRPI) and its associates or subsidiary companies.

We are also at one with the 25 hunger-striking Mangyans and companions who will not end their demonstration in front of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) until Secretary Atienza does more than suspend for 90 days the MNP’s Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC).

Given the circumstances of the case, he should revoke the ECC outright and cancel.
In the first place, there were no consultations with the local community before the DENR issued the contested ECC. We agree with the complaining Mindoro people that the operation of the MNP violates the mining moratorium called by the provincial government of Oriental Mindoro. Not only does the MNP threaten the ecology of Mindoro Island, by making its water and soil toxic it will also drive the national treasure animal, tamaraw to extinction and wreak havoc on the lives of Mangyans. The project—including the flawed Mineral Production Sharing Agreement—should be totally cancelled.

IRPI’s domestic subsidiaries hold the mining claims. These are the Aglubang Mining Corporation and Alag-ag Mining Incorporated. It covers a vast land area of 11,216 hectares spanning four towns. Victoria, Pola and Socorro are in Oriental Mindoro and Sablayan is in Occidental Mindoro. The ancestral domain claims of the Alangan and the Tadyawan Mangyans are affected by the mining tenure granted to these IRPI subsidiaries.

What will happen to the seven Mangyan tribes and communities—with about 20,000 souls—when they are displaced? Will they and their culture just be allowed to go extinct—like the tamaraw? Preservation efforts have made the tamaraw population in Mindoro (which is their only habitat) increase. But these IRPI mining operations will again endanger the tamaraw with extinction.

Atienza order found wanting

It was after a dialogue with the delegation from Mindoro that, on Wednesday, Secretary Atienza signed the order suspending the ECC for 90 days. The Mindoro delegation was composed of the government officials of the two Mindoro provinces, Mangyan tribal leaders, NGO and civil society representatives. Bishops Broderick Pabillo and Warlito Cajandig were also present as well as activist priests.

Alyansa Tigil Mina national coordinator Jaybee Garganera said, “The Mindoreños had a dialogue with Secretary Atienza in good faith but upon closer inspection of the signed order, the Mindoreños felt dissatisfied with Secretary Atienza’s response. He merely gave a 90-day suspension to the ECC and failed to address accurately the issues and agreements during the dialogue.”


Mining companies should obey laws

The Mindoro group gave media a copy of a letter issued by the Environmental Impact Assessment Review Committee (EIARC) recommending that the DENR should not award the MNP an Environment Compliance Certificate. The decision to recommend denial was reached on September 23, 2009, after thorough deliberation by a seven-member review committee which voted 4-3 against ECC issuance.

The letter was addressed to DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau Director Julian Amador. Was Secretary Atienza not informed of the EIARC letter? Is this why he gave the ECC on October 14—despite the existence of the mining moratorium decree in Oriental Mindoro passed by the provincial board? The Local Government Code empowers local governments to enact laws to protect the environment and preserve mineral resources.

When the DENR secretary was Mr. Heherson Alvarez in 2001, he rejected the application for this mining project. The rejection was based on findings that the mining site would compromise Mindoro’s watershed and affect indigenous populations. But Mr. Michael Defensor replaced Mr. Alvarez at DENR and approved the Norwegian corporation’s mining application.

Mindoro Island is both domestically and internationally identified as one of the top ten priority conservation areas of the Philippines. These 10 areas contain biological treasures that are under severe threat of devastation by, among other forces, mining.

The MNP operation must be stopped. It’s very existence violates the law. At the very least mining companies should comply with all the laws of the land.