By JONG CADION
PAGADIAN CITY, ZAMBO
del SUR, Mindanao, Southern Philippines (March 22-PNA) -– The group of
Indigenous Peoples (IPs) belong to the organization of Pikumpongan Subanen Lupa Pusaka with a
Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) 075 in Sindangan, Zamboanga del
Norte sending a letter requesting help to President Benigno
Aquino III through the Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (DENR) Ramon J.P. Paje
to investigate the continuous illegal mining
operations in Zamboanga del Sur.
The CADT-075 represented by its tribal leader Chairman
Luciano G. Tanglanan in their letter said that the illegal mining operation was
conducted by the Small-Scale Miners under the area of a certain Diosdado M.
Dioson operated by Global Titan Mining Corporation particularly at Barangay Canoayan in
the municipality of Bayog in Zamboanga del Sur up to the boundaries between the
provinces of Zamboanga del Sur and in Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte.
The Subanen Ancestral Domain consisting of Barangays/portion of the
municipalities of Sindangan, Leon E. Postego, Godod and Siaayan, all of the province
of Zambonga del Norte and portion of the municipality of Bayog, Zamboanga del Sur.
In their letter to President
Pnoy dated March 17, 2014 copy furnished to acting Director Mines and
Geosciences Bureau (MGB) Leo N. Jasareno, Justice Secretary Laila de Lima, citing
that the provincial government of Zamboanga del Sur issued a Governor’s Permit
to Global Titan Mining Corporation valid from February 14, 2011 to December 31,
2013 and up to the present their mining operations still continue even the
objection and petition against their operations was filed by the IPs community
to the office of Mine and Geosciences Bureau (MGB).
The mining operations
covers an area of 199,997 square meters located within the applied tenement for
Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) of Greater Asia Mining and
Development Corp. (GAMDC) denominated as APSA No, 000129-IX, wherein a consent
was given to Mr. Dioson by Mr. Elson S. Ogario, President of OAMDC, which
granted the right to apply for Small-Scale Mining Permit over the area base from
the MGB report dated August 14, 2013 as attached to their petition letter said.
The letter added that
the mining operation was permitted as small-scale but they are using heavy
equipments like backhoe, bulldozer and dump trucks.
Tanglanan added, the
Petition was first filed to the Regional Office-9 of National Commission on
Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and now had published its area projection showing map
of the applied small-scale area by Diosdado Dioson as approved by the
Provincial Mining Regulatory Board represented by Governor Antonio H. Cerilles.
He said, based upon
the said projection map through its technical description, the approved area is
in Barangay Sigacad and not the other around. Therefore, it could be concluded
that the operation was diverted from the applied against the actual mined area
and shout be investigated.
The letter added, Tanglanan
explained that in Section 16 of RA 7942 otherwise known as the Philippine
Mining Act of 1995 as affirmed by Section 59 of RA 8371 (IPRA Law) that no
ancestral land/domain shall be open for mining without the prior consent form
the IPs community.
“The mining operations is illegal because it has no
Free and Prior Informed
Consent (FPIC)
as granted in the Indigenous
Peoples' Rights Act of 1997
or RA 8371 (IPRA Law),
therefore we vehemently condemns
this mining operation and
we are requesting our President Benigno Aquino III through the DENR Secretary the conduct of an investigation as requested by the IPs community for the greater benefit of the Subanen
in the affected area and consequently bring the responsible persons to court if
possible,” Tribal leader Tanglanan said.
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