DONYA REMEDIOS TRINIDAD, Bulacan – The Sagip Sierra Madre Environmental Society (SSMES) demanded a shutdown of operations of an iron ore large scale mining company here.
This came as multi-partite team conducted an inspection on the 440 hectare mining site of Ore Asia Mining and Development Corporation (Ore Asia) at Barangay Camachin in this mountain town on Saturday.
The surprise inspection was in response to complaints forwarded by the Diocese of Malolos to Bulacan Gov. Wilhelmino Alvarado.
However, the Bulacan Environment and Natural Resources Office (BENRO) said they will look at the parameters of the law on whether to recommend suspension or closure of Ore Asia to the Mining Rehabilitation Fund Committee (MRFC) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) which granted the company a Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA).
As part of the multi-partite monitoring team, Martin Francisco, chair of the SSMES told Punto that Ore Asia’s operations must be shutdown immediately.
“There are numerous concerns that we saw which are clear violations of their permit,” Francisco said after the surprise inspection that was marked by a tension at the gate of the mining site when security guards refused to let inspection team in.
The inspection team included staffs of the BENRO, DENR, members of the Philippine National Police, the Army and selected journalists in the province.
Some of the possible violations discovered by the inspection team include lack of rehabilitation on the iron ore open pit mining site which covers at least 20 hectares of the total 440 hectares, not enough siltation pond, lack of safety gears for workers some of whom are too young to work in a mining operations, lack of free prior informed consent from tribal communities, and lack permit to cut trees.
“I think those are grounds for DENR to immediately shutdown Ore Asia’s operations,” Francisco said.
He said that simultaneously digging at the 20 hectares of land within the 440 hectare mining area is disadvantageous to the environment and poses dangers to workers.
Francisco said that Ore Asia’s operations lack rehabilitation plan noting that a responsible mining company usually conducts mining in a gradual manner.
“It is not the responsible mining operation recommended by the DENR,” he said.
He also stressed that best practices in mining as taught by the DENR involves mining in smaller areas, and before moving to another area, the mining company rehabilitates the area they previously mined.
Francisco and Lawyer Teddy De Belen, head of the BENRO, said that it is unlikely for Ore Asia to rehabilitate their current mining area due to its sheer size.
They also said that Odeco’s siltation pond is not enough to hold water during raining season before releasing it to local creeks that drains to Biak-na-Bato river then to Candaba Swamp, Pampanga River and the Angat River.
It was also learned that rains brought by typhoon Juaning led the siltation ponds to overflow into the creeks.
“We may not feel the immediate impacts of their operations on local fisheries and aquaculture operation, but unless they address it, more people living in Bulacan and Pampanga will be affected,” Francisco said.
With regards to FPIC, he said that the company had not shown a copy of it, along with the permit to cut trees in clearing the mining area.
Francisco added that damage to the environment caused by Ore Asia’s operation is greater than the good it claimed to have done to the local community.
“I didn’t even see if they employ Dumagat tribesmen there,” he said.
Mining operations in the said 440-hectare land claim of the Soriano family of San Miguel town was marked by controversies since it started about 10 years ago.
Its first mining operator was Matatag Mining, but it lost its permit after clearing the trees within its mining area without permit from the DENR.
