DAVAO CITY – Thousands of Batanguenos gathered today in the town center of Lobo municipality in Batangas to protest the entry of Mindoro Resources Limited-Egerton Gold Philippines (MRL-Egerton).
In a press release on Monday, Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment (Kalikasan-PNE) said more than 2,000 residents and environmental advocates joined the protest.
The Sangguniang Bayan of Lobo has already issued SB Resolution 2015-26 endorsing the gold mining project of MRL-Egerton for exploration and commercial operation.
Clemente Bautista, coordinator of Kalikasan, said since 2003, strong local opposition has been hindering the commercial operation of MRL.
“The Municipality of San Juan, Batangas in 2006 issued resolution banning mining in their area to hinder the entry of MRL,” Bautista said.
Peti Enriquez, secretary general of Bukluran para sa Inang Kalikasan (Bukal) Batangas said they call for the revocation of the local government’s endorsement for the mining project “to protect Lobo’s lives, livelihood, and environment.”
“The Batangas provincial government under Vilma Santos should immediately declare a ban on large-scale mining in the province to ensure the province’s last remaining ecological footholds,” said Enriquez.
“MRL-Egerton Gold’s true intent is to plunder our resources, destroy our environment, and displace us from our lands. We will frustrate the deceptions by MRL-Egerton Gold and their cohorts, which seeks rob from us the beauty and riches of Lobo,” Enriquez added.
Gina Lopez of Bantay Kalikasan joined the series of protest activities, saying to local town officials: “You cannot say you love Lobo while allowing mining in your area. You cannot promote Lobo as an ecotourism area if you allow the devastation of Mt. Lobo and pollute Verde Island Passage. It’s political suicide to go for mining because the people really don’t want it.”
Lobo is considered the country’s fifth top biodiversity center, and is one of the last homes of Batangas’ forests.
“It is also contiguous to the Verde Island Passage, a strait known as the ‘center of the center’ of marine biodiversity in the country,” Bautista said. (davaotoday.com)
