Church Group Dares GMA to Declare Official Watershed Areas in Caraga Region

TANDAG CITY – Diocese of Tandag’s Social Action Center Director Sister Lydia Lascuna, ICM challenged President Arroyo during her visit here in Tandag City last June 19 to officially declare watershed areas around Caraga Region.

Suster Lascuna who is one of the convenor of the Coalition Against Destructive Mining claimed there were no official declaration yet by the government pinpointing what are watershed areas, which were not.

Since 1996, Sister Lascuna and her group have been calling for the scrapping of the Mining Act of 1995 and promoted an alternative People’s Mining Law where host local government units had a total say in their mineral resources thus mining activities must be operated by Filipinos solely for the country’s consumption and if needed.

Sister Lascuna who is temporarily serving as secretariat of various environmentalist groups claimed the none genuine declaration of real watershed areas in the region have brought confusion to some since most of the watershed areas are now allegedly being mined by mining firms and where logging firms also operates.

Sister Lascuna said that according to studies conducted by various environmentalist groups including that of University of the Philippines and Ateneo University’s geological societies claimed most if not all mining areas in the region where huge deposit of metallic including non-metallic mineral resources are found are within watershed areas.

. “It is a choice between water supply to irrigate farm lands and potable water supply of communities or money for owners of mining firms laughing all the way to the banks”, Lascuna who claimed mining in watershed areas will dry up irrigation and water wells for host communities said.

The Bureau of Mines and Geo-Sciences have approved six Mineral Production Sharing Agreements or MPSA in Surigao del Sur involving six mining firms operating in large-scale mining activities at present covering an area of 15, 926.39 hectares.

Commercial logging activities in the province alone doing large scale logging operations based on DENR records involved four big logging companies with approved Timber License Agreement (TLA) and Integrated Forest Agreement (IFMA) covering 241,305 hectares of public forest, timber lands.

Under the law, IFMA and TLA holders are allowed to cut 82,000 cubic meters of logs or about 41,000 pieces of logs depending on sizes per year per title holder.

In Surigao del Sur alone, there are about 27 applications and ready for MPSA issuance involving 27 mining firms ready to implement large-scale mining activities covering to a total of 115,349 hectares of land.

There are also three applications for Financial and Technical Assistance Agreement (FTAA) under process at the Bureau of Mines and Geo-Sciences central office in Manila ready for large-scale mining operations involving 106,803 hectares in Surigao del Sur.

At present, according to official Bureau of Mines and Geo-Sciences as of August 2007, there are two large scale mining firms with approved exploration permits while four are still under process involving a total of 59, 607.05 hectares of land.

Small-scale mining operations approved and registered for Surigao del Sur alone had a total of 12o hectares while pending approval or under process were 24 small-scale mining applicants whether by group or individuals involving a total of 480 hectares.

According to the Diocesan Social Action Center of Surigao del Sur, the total land area of Surigao del Sur is only 455,567 hectares while consolidating approved mining claims and logging concessions including those under process or pending applications totaled all to 465,112.07 hectares.

“Where are now the watershed areas where people’s potable water supply and irrigation water come from?’ Sister Lydia questioned.

Mining and Logging: Causes of flooding in Surigao del Sur

The Surigao del Sur Diocesan Social Action Center came up with a position paper now printed into pamphlets claiming mining and logging activities have been the caused of severe flooding experienced by the province since 2005 and 2007 flooding and flash floods including landslides estimated to have damaged millions of pesos of rice, root crops, live stocks, private and public infrastructures.

According to Sister Lydia Lascuna siltation along coastal areas in Surigao del Sur especially in Barangays Gango, Nasipit, Adlay, all in Carasscal town where three large scale mining firms are operating already taking its toll after fisher folks complained rapid drastic declined of their catch.

“Bureau of Mines and EMB officials defended mining operations will bring livelihood to host communities, what livelihood are they talking about when mining operations in that barangays already deprived around a hundred of fisher folks in their daily livelihood”, Sister Lascuna said.

Sister Lascuna said jobs are only limited to few because mining firms rely heavily on heavy equipment claiming in Barangay Gango alone only one resident was employed by a mining firm despite huge mining operations in the area.

Sister Lascuna added most workers of the mining firms operating in sad barangay are from Luzon, Visayas and other parts of Mindanao since .Gango residents have no skilled in heavy equipment operations