DAVAO CITY, Philippines – As Davao Oriental Governor Nelson Dayanghirang proposes to take action on mining activities in the province, environmental advocates urge him to act immediately to protect the Mount Hamigutian Range Wildlife Sanctuary.
This comes after a dialogue between the governor and local stakeholders held on October 6 in Mati City where Daynghirang acknowledged concerns about the environmental risked posed by Hallmark Mining Corporation.
The company’s mining area is located near the buffer zone of Hamiguitan’s sanctuary.
The mining activity is also affecting the planned road project, MACALULA Road Network Loop Project, which connects the barangays of Macambol, Cabuaya, Luban, and Lanca.
The mining operation of Hallmark, together with Austral-Asia Link Mining Corp. (AALMC), is tied to the Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) permit under the management of Asiaticus Management Corp. (AMCOR). Each MPSA covers 5,000 hectares of mine site.
Their operation is located eight kilometers from the Protected Seascape of Pujada Bay, as secured by Presidential Proclamation 431 and Republic Act 7586, and four kilometers from the UNESCO Heritage Site of Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary, also a protected area under Republic Act 9303.
But the Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS) said that while they welcome Dayanghirang’s action, the response “came far too late”, saying that communities have raised this issue for over a decade.
“For more than a decade, residents of Brgy. Macambol and environmental advocates have repeatedly sounded the alarm on the dangers posed by large-scale mining in the area. These warnings were clear and consistent: forests were being cleared, rivers were silting up, farmlands were eroding, and the once-stable slopes were weakening. Yet, for years, the calls were met with silence or denial,” said Attorney Mark Peñalver, the executive director of IDIS.
IDIS recalled that in 2022, various sectors in Davao Oriental were organized such as the Macambol Multi-Sectoral Alliance for Integral Development Banaybanay (MMSAID), Parish Social Action Center Banaybanay (PSAC-SLRDM), and Municipal Agriculture and Fishery Council Banaybanay (MAFC). The launched “Panalinga DavOr: What is happening in Banaybanay and Macambol?” where they expressed their sentiments to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR XI) and LGUs concerning the illegal mining activities in Davao Oriental, but their concerns were left unanswered.
IDIS supported this campaign as they warned that the mining operations in Macambol posed serious threats to both the Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary and the Pujada Bay Protected Landscape and Seascape. But their appeal was dismissed by concerned agencies as the mining activity is “technically outside the protected area boundaries.”
Peñalver said that while the statement from the governor is welcomed, the local government needs to do more.
“It may not be too late to act, but given the perilous impacts of mining, it is no longer enough to merely acknowledge the problem; LGUs must take decisive action now before the people suffer further from irreversible damage,” the IDIS director said.
Mining Effect
The group MMSAID point out how the mining operations of Hallmark have greatly affected not just the upland farms and forests but also the fishing area.
Primo Solis of MMSAID told Davao Today that more than 20 vessels, each transporting 250 metric tons of nickel ore to China, are docking in Pujada Bay for the mining company. The docking site and its adjacent area are now restricted for local fishermen.
“Katong wala pa ang mining company diha, gwapo kaayo nga fishing area pero karon wala na (Before this mining company arrived, this was a beautiful fishing area, but now it’s gone)” Solis pointed to the part of Pujada where the vessels are docking.
Solis also lamented the effects of siltation from mining areas carried by heavy rains during the past months have damaged Pujada Bay.
“Kita kakita na ta sa epekto sa mina. Sa una muingon sila nga wala lagi na. Pero karon o kanang nabulwag na katong unsa to nga bulan, kita na man gyud ta nga ang siltation dire man gyud paubos unya ang mga mananagat dili man gyud makaduol diha (We have seen the effects of mining. They used to tell us that’s not going to happen. But look now what happened a few months ago, we saw the siltation down to the fishing area where we cannot get near that place),” Solis said.
Solis said they hope that the recent change in leadership in the provincial government can address these concerns.
Protected areas affected
Pujada Bay was also declared one of the Most Beautiful Bays in the World during the 15th World Bays Congress in Toyama Prefecture, Japan, in 2019.
Meanwhile, the forested area of Barangay Cabuaya in Mati City, which is also located near the mining site, was declared a protected area as it is home to rare and endemic species found nowhere else in the world, including the Philippine eagles Abu and Aya, and the pygmy forest ecosystem.
In a study published on http://bhpbilitonwatch.net/2009/10/21pujada-hallmark-nickel cited in a signature campaign led by the Diocese of Mati in 2021 (https://www.bataris.org.ph/petitions/stop-the-mining-operations-of-austral-asia-link-mining-corporation-and-hallmark-mining-corporation-1 ), it was cited that “some 4,778 hectares of mining permits overlap on five major drainage water systems and watersheds which either drain to Pujada Bay or to the Davao Gulf,” which supplies water to communities living within and around the area.
Responsible Mining?
Hallmark Mining responded to the local government’s position with a statement assuring them they “remain firmly committed to responsible mining.”
“Through our Environmental Protection and Enhancement Program (EPEP), we have put in place strong safeguards such as siltation ponds, collector sumps, and active monitoring by the Multi-Partite Monitoring Team, as well as nature-based solutions to nurture biodiversity and prevent harm to the surrounding ecosystems,” they stated.
But Peñalver doubts this statement, questioning how Hallmark will explain the 200 hectares of land “ravaged” by their activities, the disruption of infrastructure projects and the degradation of Macambol’s forests and rivers.
“There is no such thing as responsible mining. Mining, by its very nature, is destructive, and nothing can be called responsible when it destroys the environment in the name of economic development,” said Peñalver.(davaotoday.com)
