By Melvin C. Gascon
The league of mayors in the province of Nueva Vizcaya have joined forces to reject new mining ventures, declaring their firm opposition to exploration and extraction projects they say threaten the province’s environment and its people.
In a resolution adopted on October 8, the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP)–Nueva Vizcaya Chapter expressed its “strong opposition” to all pending and future applications for exploration and mining permits in the province.
The mayors made the stand amid the pending exploration activities of British firm Woggle Corp. in Dupax Del Norte town, which is now facing stiff opposition from residents.
Anti-mining groups in the province, however, noted that the resolution covered only future mining ventures.
The mayors invoked the 1987 Constitution and the Local Government Code of 1991, which mandate the State and local governments to protect public welfare and promote a balanced and a healthful ecology.
Nueva Vizcaya, they said, is blessed with fertile agricultural lands, clean water sources, lush forests, and rich biodiversity, all vital to the sustainable development of its communities.
“Destructive large-scale mining threatens not just the environment but the very livelihoods of our people,” the resolution reads.
Controversy Over Woggle’s Exploration
The declaration comes days after Woggle used the local police force to force its way through a road barricade in Barangay Bitnong, clashing with residents who are trying to prevent the entry of the company’s drilling equipment and personnel.
Local officials said the company’s activities have already raised social and ecological concerns in affected barangays.
Echoes of Past Struggles
The mayors pointed to the province’s painful history with mining operations, which had caused environmental degradation, water pollution, and community displacement in previous years.
They were alluding to two ongoing large-scale mining operations — the Didipio gold-copper mine of Oceanagold Philippines, Inc. in Kasibu town and the Runruno gold-molybdenum venture of FCF Minerals Corp. in Quezon town.
The mayors reaffirmed their “unwavering stand” against large-scale extraction, underscoring Nueva Vizcaya’s role as a watershed province supplying clean water to nearby regions and supporting thousands of farming families. #
