Catanduanes Forum

pagsaludo sa gabos na nag basa asin nag partisipar sa mga huron huron ta manungod sa mina sa bagamanoc... galuwas na yang katotoohan sa mga bidyu asin mga dukomento... sa lambang istorya ikan parteng tama buda sara.... salamat ta nanaig yang mga tamang analisis, opinyon asin diskurso.

Bukong pang tapos yang laban.... mayaman yang atong isla kaya kadakur ning gaka interes.. bagmanoc kahapon, ninto payo, sa aban aban caramoran, sa masunod gabos na. Paka isipon ta na asa sado kitang barko na piga buraan na Catanduanes, mii to ning Compartment, yang ika uyag nin sado ika lubog nin bilog na barko.

Bukong sara yang pag mimina, importante tooyan, pero ikan mga considerasyon, sa hitsura, karakter nin isla ta, mii kayang sustenaran yang mina na mii mauuyag yang banwa...

MAGMASID, MAG-ADAR, MAGING KRITIKAL!

sa pagka gilumduman ko, sadong parsurat yang nag sabi: yang matuninong na pampamng para sana sa mga tahong ikan kusog nin boot na mag lusong sa dagat (magpaguronggudong) sa panahon nin bagyo....

I received several e-mails in reaction to my stand on the amargaha mining controversy which I posted in the Catanduanes Forum discussion. No matter how acerbic the contents of some of the e mails were, I’m still glad and thankful my postings are getting attention from readers.

As mentioned early in my CF postings, I’m a pro sustainable mining advocate. A mining operation that includes restoration, reforestation, reclamation, functioning environmental safeguards, flow back of economic benefits to the mining community, and ensure livelihood to the people. The standards of sustainable mining may seem too demanding but these are in place and functional in a number of operating mines in the Philippines.

A good model is the coal mining in Semirara Island, with land area less than a 10th of Catanduanes but with coal reserve a thousand times over. Semirara Island has not been wiped off the map and incredibly expanding its land area, twenty years after commercial operation. The world famous Boracay Island is merely a visual distance away, yet there is no instance of mine pollution because of their strict adherence to sustainable mining practices. We can also take as role model the gold and copper Philex mines and other operating mines in Baguio. They even have the well renowned Mines View Park.

My opposition to the offshore amargaha mining is its being located in an area where people of Viga, Payo and Bagamanoc get their daily food supply. The fragile ecosystem of the vast swamp lands which interconnect with the reef formations along the north eastern coast line of Catanduanes may not be able to withstand the alteration in sea floor formation and embankment of tributaries, siltation, erosion, and dumping of pollutants directly into the sea brought about by offshore amargaha operation.

The lack of transparency, no consultation, deception and attempt to divert people’s attention to other mining issues have aggravated the situation.

At the end of the day, it is a choice between the livelihood and food source of people of Viga, Payo and Bagamanoc or the business interest of the Chinese operator, their cohorts and their patrons.

Napanood ko yo youtube nin amagraha.... kahelak man kita. baga pati pag pamanwit mae na kita makukuha ta yo mga mine tailings ninyan delikado yan sa mga Isda ta.

pasintabi po sa catanduanes tribune:

How to prevent the inevitable
October 15,2008

This is precisely the problem that will face the towns of Caramoran, Panganiban and Bagamanoc if the reported plan to mine rich coal deposits in their areas push through.

As early as two years ago, drilling reportedly started in Obi, Caramoran under the Coal Exploration Permit issued in 2005 by the Department of Energy to Monte Oro Resources & Energy which has formed a joint venture with a Chinese firm (there they go again) and the Calaca coal power plant company to win the bidding for Transco assets.

If just the effort to build a boat by the Chinese firm allegedly exploring magnetite deposits in Bagamanoc stirred up enough passion among residents to force the group to relocate to Panganiban, it would take very little, perhaps a video show of the aftermath of open-pit coal mining, to send residents of the three towns into a frenzy of protests against proposed mining activities.

The fact that mining companies have very deep pockets (a fact borne out by their financial backing and further attested to by the bribery attempt laid on a local mayor) and the threat to haul recalcitrant mayors before the lords of Malacañang should alert the people, concerned NGOs and the Church that there could be a serious effort to push through such a danger-filled business venture.

We can thank the Albertos, and the low price of coal at the time, for not persevering with their open-pit coal extraction under CANARDECO when they had all the power to do so, with nary a peep from the officials they held by the throat and the people they gripped by their torn pockets. Had they done so, Catanduanes would notbe an island paradise, a province with the largest forest zone in the Bicol region.

The possibility that our remaining verdant forests in the central part (lately a playground of people with chainsaws) will disappear when the mining begins is heightened by the fact that coal now costs anywhere from US$120 to $140 per ton. And the demand for it in the Philippines is growing, with the National Power Corporation even buying abroad at $137 per metric ton.

The Obi deposits alone could yield at least 30,000 tons, valued at $4-million or nearly P200 million by the devalued Philippine peso. Add to this the even richer coal veins at the three sites in Panganiban and Bagamanoc – Campo Ermitaño, Cancalbon and Naglobog, and the possibilities are endless for Monte Oro, as well as whoever among our local officials succumbs to its charms.

Already, the Sangguniang Bayan of Bagamanoc has raised the alarm that mining in Naglobog, which extends into barangay Panuto, would pollute their water source. This early, everyone who calls themselves environmentalists should start preparing for a war they may not win if they do not make enough noise. Never mind the politicians who wish to ride on the issue, they will be there only for the exposure, not the dirty job of fighting off polluters.

sa pagka gilumduman ko, sadong parsurat yang nag sabi: yang matuninong na pampamng para sana sa mga tahong ikan kusog nin boot na mag lusong sa dagat (magpaguronggudong) sa panahon nin bagyo....

Hi My fellow Catandunganon,
You may view the monstrous machine that sucks the Magnetite "Amargaha" in Bagamanoc. Visit youtube.com and type amargaha. There are at least nine videos.

ildynjake

well for "hapit muna" better read the papers. its all over there, cua's letter to odilon, cua's admission about his dealings with a shun fong company owned by a chinese named " henry sy" etc.

For sacerdos, obviously padi ka tabi, sacerdote = priest. anyway sa kwestyon nin facts, gaya nin naisimbag ko ki hapitmuna aduman na ang facts sa nirereport nin media, may balak na ngani daa mag pull out. ang nabobother ako, sa saimong pag agyat na ilikay sa sinasabi mong POLITIKA ang usapin na ini. Sa sarong sosyedad na pano nin kontradiksyon, imbwelto pirme ang politika. dahil may kontradkisyon nin maraot na politika kontra sa interes nin namamanwaan, we have to take side. Dai pwede na trataron ta ang isyu sa subhetibong paagi. May objective interest ang namamanwaan. kung papahararumon pa ang isyu ining politika man syempre ang dahilan, isnt it that trade liberalization, globalization, monoply capitalism- ugat nin mga arog kaining exploitative mineral exploration ay mga political terms?

sa pagka gilumduman ko, sadong parsurat yang nag sabi: yang matuninong na pampamng para sana sa mga tahong ikan kusog nin boot na mag lusong sa dagat (magpaguronggudong) sa panahon nin bagyo....

I'm a pro sustainable mining advocate.

With out mining, we will turn back into the stone age. With out mining, where are going to get the plowhead to till our lands? Where are we going to get nylon to hew our fishing nets? the fuel to run our machineries? the steel for engine blocks? the jewelries you are wearing today? the spoons and fork? the cell phones? Almost everything we use in our daily lives will not be available if there is no mining.

Anti mining advocates must prove their anti mining stance by NOT using anything that came from any form of mining activity. Ironically, most anti mining advocates have never been into a mine site to gain true understanding of what mining can do to the community and to the environment.

As I mentioned earlier, I'm a pro sustainable mining advocate. No doubt about it, irresponsible mining which do not conform to the environmental laws must not be allowed under any circumstance. DENR has more than enough Laws to ensure sustainable mining. Implementation is of course different from the Law.

In the implementation phase of the Law, the golden rule most often applies - HE WHO HAS THE GOLD RULES. This seems to be the case in Bagamanoc. The coveted black sand is along the shoreline. Quarrying activities within 500 meters from the shoreline is not permitted by law - period. How come the local government, the provincial government, and the DENR allowed the quarrying activities along the shoreline? The answer is very simple - Golden Rule.

When money talks, the honorable officials of Bagamanoc and Catanduanes listen.

Nagayon baga yan baybayon nin Bagamanoc,kon miminahon yan,ay inda yan an paglubog nin norte.Yan babaybay nin Bagamanoc maitom na sand na ikan mga sediments nin bakal,ga porot baga sa magnet yan baybay ta.Ano ang gusto ninyo magyaman yan Intsik pati kita malubog na? Maski ako taga Payo dili ko gusto na minahon yan.Ayaw paglani dyan yan mga parmina ta lulumoson ko yan.DILI YAN PWEDE MGA KABABANWA.