Residents appeal to stop mining operation

STA. CRUZ, Zambales: RESIDENTS of a seaside town in Zambales have sent out an urgent appeal for their forests and environment now under threat of destruction due to ongoing mining operations, said local officials.

Mayor Luisito Marty of the mineral-rich-town of Sta. Cruz said hundreds of residents along the shorelines and inner villages have complained against the operation of Benguet Corporation, which has turned the once green environment into a wasteland of barren soil.

“Dust from the loose soil covers wide areas in summer and it turns into mud when it rains,” Marty said. “Massive environmental disturbances continue without let-up.”

Sta. Cruz is one of the coastal towns of Zambales facing the South China Sea. It is rich in deposits of nickel and other minerals.

Benguet Corporation has started operations even without permit from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), local officials noted, adding that the mine sites were located in areas that have been declared as tourism spots.

Marty said the mining operations have hampered water flow and in many areas the streams and rives have dried up because of mine tailings.

“The dust and fumes from diesel trucks and loss of vegetation have put the health of many residents at risk,” he said.

Danilo Merced, barangay captain of Lomboy, the main site of Benguet’s operation, said they were told that the company only had an “exploration” permit from the DENR.

He said the government should step in and stop the destruction of their environment and penalize those responsible for their illegal mining operations.

Benguet’s access to the mine runs across Barangay Tubo-Tubo North, one of the town’s tourist attractions with a beautiful waterfall, and residents said they are concerned that the mining operation will have a detrimental effect on their surroundings.

In Barangay Bolitov, a fish sanctuary intended for eco-tourism projects, residents filed a petition to the municipal government opposing the plan of Benguet, which announced to put up a pier and use it “by hook or by crook” to ship ores from the mines. THE MANILA TIMES