Amid the crackdown on irresponsible mining firms, the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has suspended the environmental
compliance certificate (ECC) of a nickel mining company in Davao
Oriental.
“The operations of Austral-Asia (Mining Corp.) has caused negative effects to Mt. Hamiguitan, a UNESCO World Heritage site. A biodiversity team from the DENR...found that the company’s operations have been putting at risk the biodiversity in the area, including the trees and birds such as the Philippine Eagle,” DENR Secretary Gina Lopez told a press briefing yesterday.
The mining firm operates in Sitio Salingcomot, Barangay Macambol in Mati City.
Lopez noted that the mining firm is ”sandwiched” between two protected areas, referring to Mount Hamiguitan and Pujada Bay.
“Because they don’t have a place to put their stockpile, species in the area are affected. It was also not indicated in the company’s environmental impact assessment how they intend to treat their stockpile,” she said.
“I want a moratorium on any new mine,” Lopez added. “I don’t want to fight the mining companies. I can work with them as long as they don’t silt the rivers and destroy rice fields.”
Lopez also suspended the ECC of Century Communities Corp., a property developer in Quezon City, for not complying with the requirements of a groundwater survey.
The housing project is said to affect the La Mesa Eco-Watershed, another protected area.
Source: Philippine Star
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