Stop mining for magnetite sand, Negros Occidental mayors urge Aquino

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines—Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. and the mayors of Negros Occidental are asking President Benigno Aquino to stop the offshore mining for magnetite sand in the province’s waters.

They also asked Mr. Aquino to direct the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Mines and Geosciences Bureau (DENR-MGB) to stop accepting and processing applications for exploration and offshore magnetite sand mining in Negros Occidental and to revoke permits already granted.

The opposition was contained in a resolution addressed to the President and signed by the mayors and the governors following a meeting in L’Fisher Hotel in Bacolod on Thursday.

A copy of the resolution would be sent to Environment Secretary Ramon Paje.

In a resolution, the province’s chief executives vowed not to allow offshore magnetite sand mining, especially on a massive scale due to its irreversible damage to the coastal ecosystems and the coastal resources.

They pointed out that dredging of millions of metric tons of sand would only put to waste their initiatives in coastal fisheries resources management and the province’s vision of setting up a network of marine protected areas for sustainable benefits, especially for the poor fisherfolk.

These initiatives, they added, cost millions of pesos of public funds.

Offshore magnetite sand mining violates the statutory prohibition on the removal of any substance that make up the marine habitat, the Negros officials also said.

While exploration activities might not require consent from local government units, they said the DENR must respect the policy of the province and must not mislead potential investors in thinking that magnetite sand mining would be allowed eventually.

Provincial Environment Management Officer Ma. Aleta Nuñez said that offshore magnetite sand mining involves the suctioning of millions of tons of sand from the sea bottom and screening these for magnetite ore. Then 95 percent of the sand would be dumped back in.

Removing magnetic ores that hold the sand together and balance the temperature of both sand and water would damage the quality of sand and temperature of the waters, Nuñez said.

This would affect 14 marine-protected areas in Negros Occidental with a total area of 36,533 square kilometers, she added.

The mining could result in the resuspension of sediments that would cause damage to coral reef and sea grass ecosystems, coastal erosion and damage to fishing grounds, Nuñez said.