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RESIDENTS of a seaside town in Zambales have sent out an urgent
appeal for their forests and environment now under threat of
destruction due to ongoing mining operations, said local officials.
Mayor Luisito Marty of the mineral-rich-town of
Sta. Cruz said hundreds of residents along the shorelines and inner
villages have complained against the operation of Benguet
Corporation, which has turned the once green environment into a
wasteland of barren soil.
“Dust from the loose soil covers wide areas in
summer and it turns into mud when it rains,” Marty said.
“Massive environmental disturbances continue without let-up.”
Sta. Cruz is one of the coastal towns of
Zambales facing the South China Sea. It is rich in deposits of
nickel and other minerals.
Benguet Corporation has started operations even
without permit from the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (DENR), local officials noted, adding that the mine sites
were located in areas that have been declared as tourism spots.
Marty said the mining operations have hampered
water flow and in many areas the streams and rives have dried up
because of mine tailings.
“The dust and fumes from diesel trucks and
loss of vegetation have put the health of many residents at risk,”
he said.
Danilo Merced, barangay captain of Lomboy, the
main site of Benguet’s operation, said they were told that the
company only had an “exploration” permit from the DENR.
He said the government should step in and stop
the destruction of their environment and penalize those responsible
for their illegal mining operations.
Benguet’s access to the mine runs across
Barangay Tubo-Tubo North, one of the town’s tourist attractions
with a beautiful waterfall, and residents said they are concerned
that the mining operation will have a detrimental effect on their
surroundings.
In Barangay Bolitov, a fish sanctuary intended
for eco-tourism projects, residents filed a petition to the
municipal government opposing the plan of Benguet, which announced
to put up a pier and use it “by hook or by crook” to ship ores
from the mines.
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