ODIONGAN, Romblon (PIA) — A local environmental group reiterates their call to de-list Marinduque from the priority mining areas and to declare the province as a mining free zone.
This comes after a series of consultations were held in Marinduque for the proposal to have 1,343.74 hectares from five (5) barangays in Mogpog, Marinduque declared as a Mineral Reserve Area.
Marinduque Council for Environmental Concerns (MACEC) opposed the proposition and also resisted any proposed mining in Mogpog and other towns and is calling for the DENR to lead the rehabilitation of Mogpog and other affected communities.
Dr. Randy Nobleza, the Island Innovation Marinduque ambassador, emphasized the island’s history of a man-made catastrophe and the subsequent moratorium secured 28 years ago.
He highlighted the current global climate emergency and expressed the hope for Marinduque to be delisted from the mineral reservation area and declared mining-free. Dr. Nobleza also called for an environment code recognizing the rights of nature, paving the way for sustainable blue and orange economies.
Elizabeth Manggol, MACEC’s Executive Secretary, emphasized that the community vividly remembers the Maguila-guila Siltation Dam disaster caused by Marcopper, resulting in floods, property and livelihood losses, and the tragic deaths of two children.
Despite the passage of thirty years, the mining company has not accepted responsibility for the destruction, blaming nature instead and providing inadequate compensation.
Manggol highlighted the irreversible damage to the Mogpog River, declared dead due to the lack of rehabilitation.
MACEC pointed out that not only local resolutions but also the Mimaropa Regional Development Council (RDC) has issued a resolution in 2021 “favorably endorsing the initiative to declare the province of Marinduque as a mining-free zone.” (PJF/PIA Mimaropa – Romblon)
