February 3,
2004
Mr.
Tony Antonio
Editor-Provincial Bulletin Section
Manial Bulletin
Dear Sir:
Please let
me give some comments on the news item “Bishop airs fear
of S. Leyte tragedy repeat in Vizcaya if officials okay operation”
by Bingo Cadabona, which was carried in yesterday’s issue
of your esteemed newspaper:
1. It is grossly
unfair for Bishop Ramon Villena to suggest that thousands of trees
would be cut and precious hills would be cut once mining operation
is allowed in Nueva Vizcaya, particularly the Didipio Project
of Climax-Arimco Mining Corporation in Barangay Didipio, Kasibu.
The cut and fill mining method of CAMC would have the barest use
of timber, as the mine support would rely on the fill materials
of mill tailings mixed with cement. Hence, there is no fear for
the sacrifice of our precious trees with the implementation of
the Didipio Project. It must be noted at this point that a larger
part of Didipio (including the 975 hectares Didipio Project area)
has been logged over during the logging operations in the ‘70s
and ‘80s before the company could even set foot in the area.
And this was aggravated by the non-systematic hydraulicking mining
method employed by gold panners. It was the company’s settlement
in Didipio that injected hope to reforestation with the company’s
maintenance of a nursery and implementation of a continuing reforestation
program.
2. There is,
indeed, an alarming rate of deforestation in the Didipio Valley.
But this is due to kaingin farming and not by any mining activity.
Pushed by the hard economic times and a growing population, more
and more residents of Didipio resort to kaingin for livelihood.
A brief trek to Didipio and you will feel sorry at the patches
of forestlands that are burned to give way for citrus plantations
or cash crop farms. What is even sorrier is that the cut trees
are not even sawn into lumber but are just left to rot, as if
purposely to become fertilizer to the soil? This is understandable
as it would be costly and needing hard labor to haul the lumber,
anyway.
This is not
unknown to Bishop Villena, as he visited Didipio Valley one time
last year, apart, of course, from the report of his personnel
who visit the area from time to time. Any moment now, I am sure
that Bishop Villena could present a game plan to stop the further
forest destruction in Didipio and prevent a possible repeat of
the Southern Leyte Tragedy in Nueva Vizcaya. And it would be an
ideal set-up if the Diocese of Bayombong could team up with the
DENR and the LGU concerned for the purpose.
But the whole
point is that the Didipio Project would, actually, be an indirect
solution to minimize kaingin farming rather than a cause of forest
denudation. With a lot of job opportunities offered by the mining
operation, people need no longer burn the forest for livelihood.
3. The Didipio
Project is expected to enhance the farming industry in the Didipio
Valley contrary to what is being spread that the mine will destroy
the agricultural livelihood. With the opening and maintenance
of a road network, the agricultural products from the area can
readily reach better market and get better selling price. The
mine community would even be an immediate market in itself. While
the possible damages due to pollution of river systems are valid
concerns, these are provided with measures to mitigate, if not
totally arrest, the possible effects. These are spelled out in
the Environmental Management Plan provided for the Didipio Project.
It is fervently
hoped that the media would find time to learn about the details
of the Didipio Project and, thereafter, provide some space for
a glimpse of the environmental program. It would not mean being
bias in favor of the mining company. Rather, it will be in pursuit
of fair journalism where all concerns are presented. As one paper
aptly puts, it would be “news as it should be, the good,
the bad and the ugly”.
Thank you
and more power!
Very truly
yours,
Benedict
Gapongli
Mining Engineer
Mines and Geosciences Bureau-Region 02
