Surigao Bishop, Local Government Officials in Serious Conflict Anew Over Mining Issues in Surigao del Sur

TANDAG CITY – Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Vice President Most Rev. Bishop Nereo B. Odchimar, D.D. who is Archbishop of the Diocese of Tandag and local officials of Surigao del Sur are in conflict anew after seventeen Barangay Captains of Cantilan town passed a resolution denouncing Bishop Odchemar’s conduct unbecoming by allegedly telling lies in his complaint to highest government offices which lead to the stoppage of all barangay road rehabilitation works in their areas.

In the three pages strong worded resolution signed by seventeen Barangay Captains and the ABC Federation president claimed the complaint of Bishop Odchimar which also reached to the attention of President Arroyo had caused a total stop to all on-going road repairs shouldered by businessman Mario Vijungco, President of Marc Ventures Mining and Development Corporation (MMDC) and Carac-an Development Corporation (CDC).

The barangay officials claimed the much needed repair of their barangay roads have been their dreams and only fulfilled by businessman Vijungco at no single centavo expense from the government.

They claimed that aside from road rehab works, Viljungco provided college scholarship grants to 77 scholars, cash assistance of P90,000.00 each barangay and cash assistance for all Day Care teachers in the seventeen barangays, repair of Malinawa Bridge by which government is not providing and if it is providing it will take too long and many other benefits.

Barangay officials claimed they requested the said projects, cash assistance, scholarships and others from businessman Mario Viljungco who readily responded and gave a nod without asking any exchange and ordered start of the road rehab works to his mining firms’ construction division

“All of these are now in peril because of the good Bishop’s complaint which leads to the Bureau of Mines and Geo-Sciences order to stop implementing all activities”, the Barangay Captains said.

The Office of the President, Bishop Odchimar, DENR Secretary, MGB-Caraga Regional Director Alilio Ensomo, Surigao del Sur Rep. Phillip Pichay, Surigao del Sur Governor Vicente Pimentel, Jr, Municipal Officials of Cantilan were furnished by copies of the resolution.

Based on the MGB letter, the suspension order will not be lifted until the Association of Barangay Captains of Cantilan will hold dialogue or audience with the Bishop who scheduled the meeting after the town fiesta on August 15. But allegedly the dialogue did not push through as scheduled.

Marc Ventures Mining and Development Corporation (MMDC) and Carac-an Development Corporation (CDC) holds a Mineral Production and Sharing Agreement (MPSA) to operate nickel, coal and copper mining operations in areas within Cantilan town. The firms are still in exploration phase.

Bishop Odchimar, parishioners of Cantilan, religious sector and other NGOs have been opposing the onslaught of mining activities in the province particularly in the CANCARMADCARLAN areas or the towns of Cantilan, Carrascal, Madrid, Carmen and Lanuza which the acronym CANCARMADCARLAN represents due to environmental destruction since it claimed there is no such thing as sustainable development under mining.

Anti-mining advocates mostly coming from religious sector even criticized Surigao del Sur Governor Vicente T. Pimentel, Jr. and his family for alleged direct sell out of the province’ future by allowing mining firms devastate ecology in the once peaceful and ecology-rich province.

The Pimentels, they claimed, even owned huge mining firms now operating in the province allegedly destroying every inch of the province’ environment.

But the Pimentels claimed long before they became government officials they already owned mining concessions.

“When mining starts to dig and haul tons of soil from the area there is no guarantee huge holes be replaced and no guarantee that reforestation of areas devastated by mining be implemented as we have weak government institutions to monitor it mired by its weakness and corruption”, anti-mining alliance claimed.

The anti-mining groups by which Bishop Odchimar is part claimed mining operations of both companies are located within the watershed areas of the Carac-an, Buyaan, Panikian and Alamio rivers which are the sources of water supply for the National Irrigation Administration’s irrigation system.

But local Mines and Geo-Sciences Bureau Caraga Regional Director Alilio Ensomo, Jr. is quick to defend saying the mining firms are only implementing its Social Development and Mining Plan ahead even if they are still in the status of awaiting ECC or Environmental Compliance Certificate approva.

MGB document showed that SDMP cost is “1/% of the company’s Operation and Direct Milling Cost

Ensomo said the mining firms already spent millions even if it is still in its exploration stage and boasted that it is only in Caraga Region such intensified implementation of such program is being implemented to “remove the negative image of the mining industry.”

. But anti-mining advocates alleged why Ensomo seems to act as lawyer or an information officer of all the mining firms in the region when he is supposed to stay neutral by seeing to it that all environmental laws are followed and ecology protected.

Bishop Odchimar for his part in his earlier press statement described the Social Development Mining Program (SDMP) as bribery.

In a press conference here, Bishop Odchimar challenged the barangay officials to prove their accusations that he is a liar and if they can’t produce proof, they will publicly apologize to him and if either of the above does not happened, the Bishop will file a case with the DILG and the Ombudsman.