Zambales loses P250M livelihood to mining - The Manila Times

SANTA CRUZ, Zambales: Destructive nickel mining operations in this town have resulted in farmers and fisherfolk here losing an estimated P250 million worth of livelihood annually, according to an alliance of mining-affected communities.

The Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM), in a statement released to The Manila Times, said environmental destruction continues in Zambales because of mining.

Also, contamination of irrigation waters, river siltation and flooding have affected the agricultural livelihood of the communities.

Citing data from the Department of Agriculture, the ATM said nickel mining in Santa Cruz town is causing losses of 8,000 tons of palay (unmilled rice) production annually amounting to P200 million ($5 million) in about 1,000 hectares of irrigated rice lands.

It added that the town also lost about P20-million worth of fish catch in three major rivers and at least another P30-million decrease in fish production in at least 100 hectares of fishponds.

It is estimated that each hectare of fishpond is earning P300,000 net yearly.

Four large-scale mining companies–Zambales Diversified Metals Corp. (ZDMC), Benguet Corp Nickel Mines Inc. (BNMI), LNL Archipelagic Mining Inc. (LAMI) and Eramen Minerals Inc.—have been blamed for what the ATM claims to be an irreversible environmental degradation and destruction.

The alliance said they are gravely disappointed with a recent decision by the Court of Appeals (CA) that rejected the appeal of Zambaleños (local residents) to stop mining in the province.

The CA decision denied issuance of an Environmental Protection Order (EPO) to stop nickel mining in Santa Cruz.

In its petition, the Concerned Citizens of Santa Cruz (CCOS) said, “Our alliance believes that Santa Cruz and the whole province of Zambales need the EPO to prevent the illegal activities of four mining companies that continue to operate, despite the cancelation orders by former Department of Environment and Natural Resources [DENR] Secretary Gina Lopez.”

The ATM urged the DENR to immediately implement the cancelation orders against the four mining companies, saying all permits to transport and export nickel ores must be revoked and an independent investigation of the environmental destruction in the province must be conducted.

They appealed to President Rodrigo Duterte to issue an executive order establishing a ban on open-pit mining across the country, saying his recent pronouncement to sustain a DENR administrative order on the ban on open-pit mining is a welcome development.

Patrick Roxas