Catanduanes Forum

Dear Mr. Macenas,

I am Rogelio del Rosario, Jr. , a senior geologist from the Department of Energy (DOE). You were right that the DOE has awarded a coal operating contract (COC) to Monte Oro Resources & Energy Inc. (MOREI) on November 2005 to explore the seven thousand hectares of lands located within the municipalities of Caramoran, Panganiban & San Andres. Right now the contract is nearing to its full term (2 years exploration + 2 years extension as prescribed by PD 972 otherwise known as Coal Operating Contract System and will expire on November 2009. During this period they have the option either to proceed to development/production (D/P) if they will be able to block a reserve sufficient for mining or relinquished back the said coal blocks if the said reserves does not qualifies for mining. You were right also in saying that MOREI is in the process of evaluating the results of the geological, drilling, trenching and test pitting activities they have done so far in the COC area in order to determine if the reserve will be okey for mining. They need to submit this evaluation report to DOE for technical evaluation and if the DOE sees that the establish reserve is feasible for mining then that is the time that their COC-exploration will be converted to D/P and they will be required to submit a five year development plan. But prior to conversion to D/P, they need to secure first an ECC from the DENR. Securing an ECC as we know is a through and lengthy process which the proponent need to undergoes before doing a project in the province. It is this time that all concerns and issues related to the said project will be answered and addressed upon. It is also this time that all the stakeholders, LGUs, NGOs, religious, concerned groups, etc. will be consulted and to be ask if they are in favor or not with the project. In the end the decision will lies to our fellow Catanduenon whether coal mining in Catanduanes will prosper or not.

Since the awarding of COC last November 2005, the DOE technical team have been doing frequent monitoring of all exploration activities by MOREI in compliance with the approved work program and as far as I'm concerned what they are doing are all purely exploration activities geared for the eventual blocking of coal reserves not mining as what is circulating nowadays in the entire province. I guess the people are misinformed and have jumped to conclusion that MOREI is now mining the coal in the COC area. My fellow province mate this is not true and I can attest to this since I have been there in the nose of MOREI since the day one of their contract with the DOE.

I guess the misconception of MOREI is mining the coal started in the illegal hauling of coal stockpiled in the Camp Ermitano area and the magnetite sand in Bagamanoc. I won't be speaking on the magnetite sand mining issue in Bagamanoc since that commodity rests on the Bureau of Mines. I will be commenting on the coal since the matter falls within the domain of DOE. For the information of everybody that coal was not mined by MOREI but was the product of the mining activities done by the CANARDECO during the 70s. Based from our source, it is one of the relatives of the former mining operator (and I'm not in the position to tell) who facilitated the hauling and sale of the coal in the Camp Ermitano area. It is not only the DOE that has been robbed of the shares from the sales but the LGUs as well of the province and town having jurisdiction over the former coal stockpile. I guess the decision of filing or pursuing the case for this matter now rest to DOE as we have already done our part as technical in documenting the said incident.

With regards to the issues that come out in the previous forum of associating the extent of environmental damages based on the awarded blocks of 7,000 hectares, I think that allegation is not properly correct and don't have technical basis. The usual approach in exploration is that it started with larger area and end up zeroing a small area. I agree with you that not all the blocks that have been awarded to MOREI will be mined entirely by the company. As I said previously, MOREI is still in the exploration stage. They have just gone through with geological mapping quantifying and determining the various lithological units (rock types) in the COC area. Catanduanes Island rests on volcano-metamorphic basement rocks which are not coal bearing. Results of geological mapping had shown that most of their blocks have this type of lithological units and won't be the subject anymore of future activities. They have concentrated their activities within the Malabog-Ubi area wherein they will be able to drill 10 shallow drill holes to prove the sub lateral persistencies of the identified coal seams. Drilling results pinpointed a discontinuous and structurally disturbed (faulted) coal seams. Again you were right in saying that such deposit could not be subjected to an open pit/cast mining which is said to be environmentally destructive and qualifies for an underground mining method in order to be technically feasible and commercially viable. Further during the conversion process, MOREI will relinquished the blocks that are non-coal bearing and will retain only those blocks containing coal. Thus the above assumption is baseless and unfounded.

There are still so many issues that needs to be answered and pardon me coz I don't have the luxury of time. I can only answer the things that I know and could not go on further on the other issues especially those that concerned my agency. What I have written here does not reflect the official position of the DOE.

Thank for allowing me to present my view in this forum. Good day!

Rogelio A. del Rosario, Jr.

Basta ako ang alam ko:
Hangga't hindi napuputol ang huling natitirang kahoy,
hangga't hindi nahuhuli ang huling natitirang isda,
hangga't hindi natutuyo ang huling natitirang ilog,
... saka lamang matatanto ng sangkatauhan...
NA HINDI TAYO MABUBUHAY NG PERA LAMANG!!!

Firstly, I owe JOM and the forumers an introduction, my name is Melvin Purzuelo and I maintain the Tulayhawan's blog, http://tulayhawan.wordpress.com, where several items on the semirara coal mines pollution issues are posted. For more info, may I refer you to this PDI article: http://services.inquirer.net/print/print.php?article_id=21406

Kurdapya's post: "Coal Mining in Semirara Island...I don't want this to happen to Catanduanes" got my attention that is why I volunteered my link in this forum.

The burden to prove their being "responsible" rests on the coal mining industry. How can they assure the people of Catanduanes that these destructive practices will not happen?

If the industry is serious on the "sustainable and responsible mining" rhetoric then it should showcase this in Semirara now rather than cover this pathetically by discrediting environmental groups and (with DENR's collaboration) misleading even institutions like the PSE (http://www.pse.com.ph/html/disclosure/pdf/2009/pdf/dc2009-1357_SCC.pdf).

The residents of Semirara Island in Antique called on DENR Secretary Atienza to stop the pollution by transferring or repairing the coal washing plant, rehabilitate the affected areas, provide alternative livelihoods and indemnify the affected communities. These are legitimate issues not "hysterical fuss and noise."

Having been asked to help by the residents of Brgy. Alegria we have approached the EMB/DENR and the provincial government of Antique to conduct a scientific investigation with the UP-Visayas and UP Marine Science Institute. However, the response of the company is militarization and harassment even of Alegria's barangay captain.

We challenge the industry to "walk your talk!" Until then, there's no point opening other communities like Catanduanes to threats of similar ecological disasters.

I just wanna see how you guys will react when one day you suddenly hear that fresh coal is being shipped out of Virac pier by the tons. Before it's too late, let's go ask our relatives and friends in Catanduanes if mining has really started, because I hear the DOE has signed a contract with some firm called Monte Oro to mine coal, not just explore. And the sites are thousands of hectares of precious forested mountains in the Caramoran-Calolbon boundary, and in Panganiban. Please, if you know anything more, send me an email. Or just let everyone know, so we can move before we start seeing worse calamities in our midst. God bless Catanduanes!

Before getting excited about the article, let us take a closer look.

The news is still in an allegation stage – meaning it has to be investigated and ascertained if there is truth into the ALLEGATION.

Coal washing is a process of removing non coal particles such as mud, sand and other inorganic matters. using water. The water run off containing silt and other natural fine particles are directed into a settling pond before flowing into the sea.

Settling pond is a series of containment ponds where silt and other fine particles are allowed to settle down from the coal washing water run off before flowing back into the sea using gravity. The containment ponds need to be dredged regularly to minimize silt accumulation and allow unimpeded flow of water.

Curiously, the letter was signed by 100 residents. What happened and Where are the other 1,200 residents?

The ALLEGATION may have truth into it, nevertheless, people must be reminded of, as it happened in the past, professional agitators behind the action of minority who are making disproportionate noise. These were mostly fund raising.

The inclusion of oil spill from power barge of the National Power Corp. is a poor attempt to cast a scenario of catastrophic contamination in the area parallel to the coal mining activity. Please note the oil spill happened when the power barge ran aground because of bad weather. With or with out mining, a worse oil spill happened in Guimaras and may happen anywhere including Catanduanes.

Semirara mining has been going on for more than twenty years. Millions of tons of coal and overburden are extracted annually. For such a small island, why is it not wiped off the map yet as most anti mining advocate has been predicting an apocalyptic end result?