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Letter to the Editor in response to the news article titled “Bishop airs fear of S. Leyte tragedy repeat in Vizcaya if officials okay operation” written by Bingo Cadabona, which appeared in the Manila Bulletin on February 3, 2004.
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February 3, 2004
Mr. Tony Antonio
Editor-Provincial Bulletin Section
Manila Bulletin
Dear Sir:
Please let me give some comments on the news item “Bishop airs fear of S. Leyte tragedy repeat in Vizcaya if officials okay operation” by Bingo Cadabona, which was carried in yesterday’s issue of your esteemed newspaper:
1. It is grossly unfair for Bishop Ramon Villena to suggest that thousands of trees would be cut and precious hills would be cut once mining operation is allowed in Nueva Vizcaya, particularly the Didipio Project of Climax-Arimco Mining Corporation in Barangay Didipio, Kasibu. The cut and fill mining method of CAMC would have the barest use of timber, as the mine support would rely on the fill materials of mill tailings mixed with cement. Hence, there is no fear for the sacrifice of our precious trees with the implementation of the Didipio Project. It must be noted at this point that a larger part of Didipio (including the 975 hectares Didipio Project area) has been logged over during the logging operations in the ‘70s and ‘80s before the company could even set foot in the area. And this was aggravated by the non-systematic hydraulicking mining method employed by gold panners. It was the company’s settlement in Didipio that injected hope to reforestation with the company’s maintenance of a nursery and implementation of a continuing reforestation program.
2. There is, indeed, an alarming rate of deforestation in the Didipio Valley. But this is due to kaingin farming and not by any mining activity. Pushed by the hard economic times and a growing population, more and more residents of Didipio resort to kaingin for livelihood. A brief trek to Didipio and you will feel sorry at the patches of forestlands that are burned to give way for citrus plantations or cash crop farms. What is even sorrier is that the cut trees are not even sawn into lumber but are just left to rot, as if purposely to become fertilizer to the soil? This is understandable as it would be costly and needing hard labor to haul the lumber, anyway.
This is not unknown to Bishop Villena, as he visited Didipio Valley one time last year, apart, of course, from the report of his personnel who visit the area from time to time. Any moment now, I am sure that Bishop Villena could present a game plan to stop the further forest destruction in Didipio and prevent a possible repeat of the Southern Leyte Tragedy in Nueva Vizcaya. And it would be an ideal set-up if the Diocese of Bayombong could team up with the DENR and the LGU concerned for the purpose.
But the whole point is that the Didipio Project would, actually, be an indirect solution to minimize kaingin farming rather than a cause of forest denudation. With a lot of job opportunities offered by the mining operation, people need no longer burn the forest for livelihood.
3. The Didipio Project is expected to enhance the farming industry in the Didipio Valley contrary to what is being spread that the mine will destroy the agricultural livelihood. With the opening and maintenance of a road network, the agricultural products from the area can readily reach better market and get better selling price. The mine community would even be an immediate market in itself. While the possible damages due to pollution of river systems are valid concerns, these are provided with measures to mitigate, if not totally arrest, the possible effects. These are spelled out in the Environmental Management Plan provided for the Didipio Project.
It is fervently hoped that the media would find time to learn about the details of the Didipio Project and, thereafter, provide some space for a glimpse of the environmental program. It would not mean being bias in favor of the mining company. Rather, it will be in pursuit of fair journalism where all concerns are presented. As one paper aptly puts, it would be “news as it should be, the good, the bad and the ugly”.
Thank you and more power!
Very truly yours,
Benedict Gapongli
Mining Engineer
Mines and Geosciences Bureau-Region 02
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