By Bernadette E. Tamayo

SEN. Leila de Lima has sought an investigation into the reported illegal mining operations in Candelaria, Zambales and its alleged links to the illegal construction of Chinese infrastructure and reclamation projects in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

The detained senator recently filed Senate Resolution (SR) 720 seeking an inquiry and a review of all pending and ongoing large-scale mining projects in the Philippines to determine their compliance with environmental laws.

She also filed SR 687 in March urging the Senate Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change to investigate the Cagayan Offshore Magnetite Mining Project due to its reported negative environmental and social impacts to local communities and ecosystems in the province.

“The State must not shut its eyes to the realities that demand its urgent action and a faithful compliance to its duty under the Constitution to protect and uphold the right of one and all to a balanced and healthful ecology,” de Lima said in a statement.

She pressed for the inquiry after Save Candelaria Zambales Movement, Inc., a non-government organization, submitted a petition paper dated April 21, which claimed that a certain Yinglong Steel Corporation had been “illegally” conducting mining operations in Candelaria.

The petition paper noted that several ocular inspections by local officials have determined that Yinglong has been cutting trees, constructing access roads, building facilities such as bunkhouses, and using heavy equipment without necessary permits.

“The petitioners also suspect that the materials being illegally mined are eventually used to construct China’s reclamation and military infrastructures in the WPS, a claim which has been raised by several other environmental groups for various dredging and mining projects all over the Philippines,” de Lima said.She raised the need to review policies and legislation on mining and come up with a policy direction that “will not only protect human rights and preserve the environment but also protect Philippine sovereignty as well.”

“There is also a need to verify the serious allegations that the materials being extracted in various mining and dredging projects are indeed being used to construct and fortify illegal Chinese infrastructure projects in the WPS,” de Lima stressed.

She said that the exploration and utilization of the country’s natural resources should be “in compliance with existing laws and in pursuit of national interests and for the economic and ecological benefit of the Filipino people.”

“The exigency of raising funds for the government’s budget deficit and response to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic should never be an excuse to open the ‘floodgates’ of unregulated and illegal mining that destructs the environment and the future of our younger generations,” she said.

“The enforcement of existing mining laws and policies should be ensured and the full extent of these laws must be upheld, including penalizing violators of these laws considering the irreparable destruction of illegal mining activities to our environment, culture and society,” she added.

De Lima recalled that in a move to spur the pandemic-ridden economy, President Rodrigo Duterte issued Executive Order 130 on April 15 which lifted a nearly decade-long moratorium on new mining agreements.

The senator noted that during her stint as justice secretary, she created a task force led by the National Bureau of Investigation to crack down against several illegal black sand mining operators in Cagayan and Ilocos Sur. The move led to the filing of charges against several individuals.

Source: The Manila Times