MANILA, Philippines—(UPDATE 3) After 11 days of protest fast, the Mindoreños finally ended their hunger strike Friday when Environment Secretary Lito Atienza announced the temporary revocation of the controversial environmental compliance certificate (ECC) for large-scale mining issued to a Norwegian company that would be located in watershed areas and Mangyan ancestral domain.

Atienza made the announcement after the Mass of thanksgiving on the sidewalk fronting the offices of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Friday morning. Two bishops and about a dozen priests concelebrated the Mass which was attended by Mangyan hunger strikers, nuns, anti-mining advocates and local government officials of Mindoro.

The DENR Special Order signed Friday by Atienza temporarily revoked the ECC issued to Intex Resources last October 14.

"In the interest of the service and in view of the seriousness or the allegations attendant to ECC-CO-094-007-2721 dated October 14, 2009 issued by this Department in favor of Intex Resources for the Nickel Mining Project in the Provinces of Oriental and Occidental Mindoro, the ECC is hereby temporarily revoked pending completion of a thorough and impartial investigation that will validate all allegations," the order said.

Last week, the hunger strikers that included priests briefly ended their fast and rejoiced when they thought the ECC had been indefinitely suspended. They later found out that Atienza merely issued a 90-day suspension order. Thus the hunger strikers resumed their protest.

On Friday, Atienza admitted to anti-mining advocates, bishops, the clergy and religious present that there was a lapse in the process of issuing the said ECC.

"May pagkukulang," (There was a lapse), he said, adding that he wanted to know why the ECC was issued despite the fact that the proposed mining project was in a watershed area.

"They told a lie," Atienza said without naming who misled him into signing the ECC. "There must be punishment."

But Atienza also stressed that due process must be followed, hence the "temporary revocation."

"We have to investigate, we have to prove that this is in a watershed area. It is not enough to cancel," he said. The temporary revocation, Atienza assured, meant that "nothing should move."

He added, "But please join me, so that due process would be done. Otherwise, this could go to court and you lose. The victory must be complete. I want a permanent solution."

Atienza called for the creation of an "independent, impartial investigating" group which will include civil society groups and representatives of the indigenous communities of Mindoro to examine the serious allegations of the protestors.

The report and conclusion of the investigation shall be submitted to Atienza 15 days after the completion of the task and will be "the basis of resolving the issues surrounding the ECC."

On Friday, the Mangyans and other Mindoreño protesters went to a religious house in Tagaytay City to cool off before heading home.

The Mindoreños, together with the local governments of the island, have been protesting Intex Resources' proposed nickel mining project that would cover 11,218 hectares and span four towns in Mindoro Oriental and Occidental including the ancestral domain of Alangan and Tadyawan Mangyans.

It is expected to produce 100-120 million tons of ore over a period of 15-20 years. Mindoro's nickel laterite deposit is believed to be one of the biggest in the world.

In 2005, Oriental Mindoro ordered a 25-year moratorium on mining activities in the province. In Sablayan town, in Occidental Mindoro, numerous village and municipal ordinances have been passed prohibiting the nickel mine.