31,000 Romblon signatures against Sibuyan mining sent to DENR

CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro — Romblon officials submitted to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) the signatures of 31,000 constituents urging protection of Sibuyan Island from large-scale metallic mining.

Romblon Gov. Trina A. Q. Firmalo-Fabic, Sangguniang Panlalawigan Member Cary V. Falculan, and San Fernando Mayor Fernando U. Marin, along with representatives of environmental and community groups, turned over the signatures to Environment Secretary Juan Miguel T. Cuna.

Of the total signatures, about 27,000 were gathered in Sibuyan Island, representing roughly 77 percent of its voting population, while another 4,000 signatures came from Tablas Island.

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READ: Mining-free Sibuyan gains ground as local opposition mounts

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The delegation also submitted resolutions and official actions from the Romblon provincial government, the municipalities of San Fernando, Banton, Concepcion and Odiongan, and Barangays Taclobo and España.

Faith-based organizations also expressed support for the campaign, with statements and resolutions from the Romblon Ecumenical Forum Against Mining, the Iglesia Filipina Independiente Diocese of Odiongan, clergy of the Diocese of Romblon, and Romblon Diocesan Council of the Laity.

Statements from Catholic dioceses surrounding Sibuyan were likewise presented on behalf of an estimated 9.6 million Catholics, according to the groups.

READ: Coalition welcomes withdrawal of mining endorsement in Sibuyan

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The groups are asking the DENR to act on the pending petition to cancel the Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) No. 304-2009-IVB granted to Altai Philippines Mining Corp. (APMC), which covers lands inside Sibuyan. 

They cited Sibuyan’s biodiversity and watersheds, continuing community opposition to mining, actions taken by local governments and the province’s policy direction toward environmental conservation, rehabilitation, ecologically sustainable development, and climate and disaster resilience.

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The latest signature campaign is part of a longer-running opposition to mining activities in Romblon.

In 2012, the province gathered 128,346 signatures and submitted them to the DENR, according to the groups, underscoring what they described as more than a decade of organized efforts to protect Romblon’s islands and natural resources./coa