Quezon City, Philippines—Residents of Homonhon in the municipality of Guiuan declared their opposition to the mining project of Mt. Sinai Mining Exploration and Development Corp. at the public scoping held on April 17, 2024.

The community was supported by the Parish of Homonhon, the Caritas Social Action Network of the Porongan diocese, Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ), Sanlakas, Philippine Misereor Partnership Inc. (PMPI), and Homonhon Environmental Advocates and Rights Defenders (HEARD).

The groups called out both Mt. Sinai Mining and the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) for allowing the public scoping to proceed, despite multiple documented violations and non-compliance of prerequisite jurisdictional and mandatory requirements required under EMB Memorandum Circular 2017-15 as well as prevailing legal impediments to entertain mining operations in Homonhon.

Mt. Sinai Mining did not conduct an education and information campaign (EIC) three months prior to the public scoping. They also invited only one out of three barangays in Homonhon. Representatives of the mining company were also spotted going house-to-house gathering signatures for the attendance sheet intended for the public scoping.

In 2006, the Provincial Board of Eastern Samar passed an ordinance banning large-scale mining in the province. Presidential Proclamation 469 declared the coastal waters of the Municipality of Guiuan as protected seascape and landscape. In 2012, Executive Order No. 79 excluded island ecosystems from large-scale mining.

The residents and groups, citing these, moved to cancel the public scoping. However, despite their objections, the EMB decided to continue. In protest, the residents and groups walked out of the venue en masse.

“Mt. Sinai Mining is blatantly ignoring the rights of the Homonhon residents,” said Fara Diva Gamalo of PMCJ Eastern Visayas Chapter. “Now that the environmental damage and health hazards caused by mining in Homonhon is more apparent, it is even more important that these companies abide by regulations.”

“We need to make sure the communities affected are involved and prioritized,” she emphasized.

Homonhon is known not only for being a historical site, but also as a producer of calamansi. However, farmers have reported poor calamansi harvests as the mining dust kills the flowers. The dust has also forced students to wear face masks in and out of school as the mining operations affect areas beyond their permitted zones.

Dust also settles into the rivers and nearby ocean. Residents struggle to get clean water and fisherfolk have also reported smaller catches.

Aaron Pedrosa, secretary-general of Sanlakas and volunteer lawyer for Homonhon residents, urged the government to act. “The failure to comply with EMB’s own regulations to justify the conduct of a public scoping is a red flag not only to the agency, but also to all stakeholders. This should trigger EMB to put brakes on the process until the company complies. Instead, EMB allowed the public scoping to proceed.”

He added: “If at this stage Mt. Sinai is allowed to carry on despite observed irregularities, how can we expect it to operate in strict adherence to mining and environmental regulations if the government decides yet again to allow it to mine Homonhon?”

Pedrosa recalled that in 2017 Mt. Sinai was one of the 21 mining operations closed down by the then Environment Secretary Gina Lopez mainly for ruining bodies of water due to indiscriminate mining.

The groups will officially file their opposition and appeal to the EMB and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary. To highlight the situation, the groups will sound the alarm on the mining operations in Homonhon leading up to Earth Day on April 22, 2024.

FOR INQUIRIES
Raymond Ruedas (mediacommunications@climatejustice.ph) 09274382015