PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Philippines—The government will stop entertaining new applications for mining in metals-rich Palawan and will heed the demand of a group that recently launched a campaign to gather at least 10 million signatures to put a stop to mining in the province.
In a statement following a visit to the world famous Underground River, north of Puerto Princesa City on Wednesday, President Aquino said the government will no longer process more than 300 applications for mining claims pending at the Bureau of Mines of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Mr. Aquino added the government will not approve new applications if the communities do not endorse these projects.
“We will support whatever is the position of the communities. While they stand to economically benefit from mining projects, they are also the ones to suffer if anything goes wrong,” the President said in Filipino.
Aquino also said that the more than 300 applications for concessions pending at the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, that cover potential mining areas virtually in the entire Palawan mainland, will no longer be processed.
“There are about 350 applications in Palawan that we are sifting through and I think they will no longer go (sic) through,” he said.
“I will listen to you. If you don’t like it, let’s not do it,” he added.
He promised to always consult with the people who would directly be affected, citing other opportunities for investments such as in tourism that will rev up economy and trade.
The President was reacting to the initiative launched by civil society groups in Palawan following the recent murder of environmental activist and radio broadcaster Dr. Gerry Ortega.
The groups launched a campaign to solicit 10 million signatures nationwide to pressure the government to exempt Palawan from mining activities.
Environmentalists have pointed to Palawan’s rich biodiversity and abundant forests as the main reasons to exempt it from mining.
The province, on the other hand, has been attracting mining investments because of its expansive reserves of metal ores, particularly nickel and chromite, which lay underneath old growth forests.
The President also took a swipe at mining companies involved in stock market speculations, stating that “of around 2,800 applications, only 28 are actually in mining while the rest are in mining stock markets.”
“They don’t operate, they speculate,” he said.
Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer
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