DENR orders probe of Sibuyan mining

URGENT CALL Environmental activists gather at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources office in Quezon City on Feb. 6 to call on the agency to stop mining operations on Sibuyan Island in Romblon. —GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

More than a week after residents of Sibuyan Island formed a barricade to stop trucks of Altai Philippines Mining Corp. (APMC) from hauling nickel ore, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) ordered an investigation of the firm’s operations and its alleged violations.

In a statement late Wednesday, the DENR said it ordered the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (Penro) in Romblon to file complaints against APMC, “if warranted,” on the reported cutting of trees without permit.

In a joint order on Feb. 6, Penro Romblon was also told to probe the alleged damage to seagrass and other marine resources following the construction of APMC’s causeway project.

“The DENR firmly assures the public, especially the residents of Sibuyan Island, that the department continues to strictly implement environmental laws in order to ensure the safety of the community and promote inclusive development in … Romblon,” the agency said.

APMC was also ordered to stop constructing the causeway at Sitio Bato in San Fernando town on Sibuyan Island and transporting ore from the contract site to the causeway.

The DENR denied the mining firm’s application for a miscellaneous lease agreement for its violation of Commonwealth Act No. 141, as amended, or the Public Land Act, and its related issuances.

In a statement sent to the Inquirer, APMC said that even before receiving the notices of violations from the DENR regional office in Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan) and the joint order from the regional offices of DENR, Environmental Management Bureau and Mines and Geosciences Bureau, the company had already “voluntarily suspended” its exploration activities on Sibuyan Island.

Good faith

“We did this in good faith, owing to the fact that tensions had been building up around the site; and more importantly, to allow productive dialogue to happen with regulators and other stakeholders while we electively paused our operations,” it said.

However, APMC said the voluntary pause was “not an admission of fault” and maintained that its operations in the area were “fully legal, compliant and above board.”

“Once again, we categorically deny all allegations questioning the legitimacy of our operations,” it said.

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