Is mining good or dangerous? Gov’t, inexperienced group take reverse sides

TACLOBAN CITY — The nationwide authorities earned P182.62 million in excise tax from mining operators final 12 months on prime of taxes imposed by the native authorities.

Nonetheless, for environmental teams, no sum of money might compensate for damages brought on by mining operations on the surroundings.

In accordance with Glen Noble, regional director of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau in Jap Visayas (MGB-8), mining corporations paid P172.84 million in excise taxes for the 8.22 million nickel ore moist metric tons (WMT) shipped to China in 2023.

He added that P9.77 million in excise tax was additionally paid final 12 months for the 25,900 WMT chromite focus that was likewise shipped to China.

Noble identified that the P182.62 million excise tax was for the nationwide authorities’s share alone because the native authorities additionally acquired extra revenue from mining by way of enterprise permits, actual property tax, revenue tax, and different native charges.

READ: Mining corporations in Homonhon informed to pay realty taxes

However for Daipen Montes, board of administrators of the Homonhon Environmental Advocates and Rights Defender Inc., no sum of money might pay for the injury performed by the mining actions to the island’s surroundings.

“The injury and destructions mining have delivered to the island is irreplaceable,” she informed the Inquirer.

“The ill-effects are obtrusive like mud air pollution and the excessive circumstances of respiratory diseases. Our water has turned purple. Our rice fields have been mined and our water sources are actually depleted,” mentioned Montes.

Montes appealed for the whole stoppage of mining operations on the island – a transfer backed by the Catholic Church.

At current, 4 mining corporations are working on Homonhon Island: Emir Mineral Assets Corp., Chromite King, Inc., Nickelace Inc., and Mt. Sinai Mining Exploration and Improvement Corp.

These corporations, all of that are extracting nickel and chromite deposits, have a mixed work pressure of 1,549 who’re principally native residents.

READ: Research mining impression on Homonhon – bishop

In August 2023, church and native residents held a rally to demand the closure of mining operations in Homonhon, citing the destructions performed on the surroundings.

Noble mentioned he was conscious of the Church-backed opposition by native residents in opposition to mining operations in Homonhon, an island of about 300 hectares the place the group of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan landed in 1521.

He mentioned he was prepared to satisfy with native Church officers and probably discover methods for them to grasp that mining operations had been by no means dangerous.

“In mining tasks, there are all the time two teams. One group helps mining whereas the opposite group opposes it,” Noble mentioned.

“That’s their advocacy whereas we in MGB are for accountable mining. Mining is a growth choice which provides alternatives like taxation, authorities income, and employment for the folks and even social growth which is required for mining operations,” he added.

In accordance with Noble, solely the mining sector makes social growth packages necessary and never only a mere “company social accountability” as being practiced by different corporations.

“The social growth program of the mining corporations is roughly one p.c of their operation prices. It’s ingrained in our legal guidelines,” he mentioned.

As the federal government’s essential regulator on mining operations, Noble assured that the MGB has been always monitoring the actions on the island, dwelling to greater than 4,000 folks unfold on its eight barangays.

Primarily based on their monitoring, he mentioned they haven’t observed any grave abuse of the surroundings dedicated by any of the mining operators.