3-day caravan vs large-scale mining ends

Iloilo City — Environmental advocates on Panay Island marked Earth Day on Sunday with the culmination of a three-day caravan against large-scale mining.

The caravan, which started on Friday, ended in a brief program at the provincial Capitol grounds along Bonifacio Drive in this city after passing the provinces of Iloilo, Antique, Aklan and Capiz.

“The caravan was a symbolic message to sound off the alarm against the destruction of communities and contamination of the environment due to large-scale mining. It was also held to let communities that have risen up and fight against mining companies know that they are not alone,” said Ma. Geobelyn Lopez, secretary general of the Madia-as Ecological Movement (MEM).

The caravan, which was also organized by the Visayan Coalition for the Ecology and Defend Patrimony, traveled some 822 kilometers and passed by 51 towns—nine towns in Aklan, 10 towns and a city in Capiz, 17 towns and two cities in Iloilo and 12 towns in Antique.

“The warm welcome by church groups, local officials and communities opposed to mining shows the concern of the people on the unabated mining applications and operations in various areas,” Lopez said.

On Panay and Guimaras islands, 172,764.26 hectares of land out of the total land area of 1,229,704 hectares have been subject to approved or pending mining applications, Lopez said, citing data from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Anti-mining advocates have for the scrapping of the Philippine Mining Act of 1995 and a moratorium on the processing and approval of mining applications.

Around 100 participants in seven vehicles left Iloilo City after an ecumenical Mass celebrated by priests and pastors on Friday morning. /INQUIRER