MANILA, Philippines?The Department of Environment and Natural Resources should be investigated for approving the mining applications of three giant mining firms in the Mindoro provinces, a lawmaker said Tuesday.

In a privilege speech, Representative Diogenes Osabel of the Alagad party list urged the House of Representatives to probe the DENR, Mines and Geosciences Bureau, Environmental Management Bureau, and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples for their role in giving the firms environmental clearances to conduct mining and oil exploration activities despite staunch opposition from the local government and the affected communities.

The three firms?Intex Resources, Agusan Petroleum and Pitkin Ltd. ? cover 208,561 hectares or almost 20 percent of the total land area of Occidental Mindoro and Oriental Mindoro.

Osabel questioned how the firms were immediately issued Mineral Protection Sharing Agreement, Free Prior Informed Consent and Environmental Compliance Certificate despite the anti-mining ordinances and resolutions issued by the local governments of Mindoro.

Oriental Mindoro has ordered a 25-year moratorium on large-scale mining.

The DENR also failed to consult the local government as mandated under the Local Government Code, he said.

" What does DENR take the local leaders for, a nobody in their own territory?? Osabel said.

?The Mindoreños are asking: is the DENR a broker for the mining firms instead of being a protector of the environment,? he said.

Intex Resources was granted environmental clearance certificate to mine nickel in Mindoro. The project covers 11,216.6 hectares.

Agusan Petroleum was given exploration permit in Abra de Ilog town in Occidental Mindoro and in the resort town of Puerto Galera and San Teodoro in Oriental Mindoro.

The DENR also allowed Pitkin Ltd. to conduct oil exploration in portions of the towns of Sablayan, Calintaan, Rizal, San Jose and Magsaysay in Occidental Mindoro and in Bulalacao in Oriental Mindoro.