Casiño backs fisherfolks vs mining
January 29, 2012 in Featured, Ilocos, mining
By VINCE BORNEO
www.nordis.net
LINGAYEN, Pangasinan — Having seen for himself the destructive foreshore and coastal mining operations in this town, Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño is calling on the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to junk some 160 applications for magnetite (black sand) mining in the Lingayen Gulf.
TO SEE IS TO BELIEVE. Bayan Muna party-list Congressman Teddy Casiño arrives local residents,officials and journalists in an ocular inspection of a questionable magnetite mining project in Lingayen, Pangasinan. Photo courtesy of Vince Borneo
“I support the call of the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), the local government officials and the people of Pangasinan, La Union, Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte provinces who are opposed to magnetite mining.
Onshore and offshore mining for magnetite under the current policy regime will not redound to the local people and even the national government in terms of revenue and long-term utilization of this natural resource,” Casiño said.
Magnetite is an iron oxide and is used in the production of steel, in high-density concrete, in photocopier toner, and as high-temperature coating in some steam boilers.
“At least 15 magnetite mining applications are pending before the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) in La Union province, 57 in Ilocos Sur, and 86 in Ilocos Norte. While there are no pending applications in Pangasinan, residents are not in favor of any magnetite mining project since it would destroy coastlines, diminish fish catch and will bring untold disasters when natural calamities strike,” Casiño said.
“We shall see how Congress can help local governments in resisting the influx of projects that will extract our finite resources that will only benefit foreign firms instead of the Filipino people. There is a major disconnect between eco-tourism projects and extraction of black sand in Pangasinan and other parts of the country. We shall file the appropriate measure in the House soonest,” Casiño added.
Casiño is a leading advocate and main author of House Bill 4315 – the Peoples Mining Bill – that aims to re-orient the mining industry by repealing the Mining Act of 1995 (RA 7942), respecting local governments and local communities who shall refuse mining projects in their areas, and putting in more stringent environment and social acceptability standards and penalties for mining projects for areas that shall be opened to mining. # nordis.net
in santa ilocos sur, that is currently a problem because there are suspicious looking ships lurking in our seas for two months now. the vice mayor said it is there seeking shelter waiting for the typhoon to pass. there was no typhoon. then on another statement issued on the same day the vice mayor said that whatever tools seen in the vessel will be used for dredging the abra river to avert erosion. but he said there’s no ecc yet issued by the DENR hence no approval yet from gov. singson. if that is so, why is the vessel already there? residents are hearing eerie and strange sounds in the night.