Mining on historic Philippine island sparks uproar

Mining on historic Philippine island sparks uproar

A Filipino bishop has called on the government to take action against mining activities by four companies on the historical island of Homonhon which allegedly have negative impacts on communities and the natural environment.

“At present, there are four active mining companies operating on the island. Their immediate and negative effects on communities and the natural environment are very alarming,” Bishop Crispin Varquez of Borongan Diocese, which covers the island, said in a statement on April 11.   

Varquez said the diocese is “very much disturbed by the escalated mining operations in our beloved historical island of Homonhon.”

He called on government leaders and concerned agencies to take action on this matter.

Homonhon island is regarded as a historic place where Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan landed on March 16, 1521, marking the arrival of Christianity in the country.

According to the Philippine New Agency, mining firms Techiron Resources, Inc., Emir Mineral Resources Corp., King Resources Mining Corp. and Global Min-met Resources, Inc. are operating on Homonhon.

The bishop’s statement came after local residents, mostly fishing communities, complained about depleting fish stocks, forcing them to go further out to sea to catch fish.

They say mining activities have polluted the waters where they used to fish.

The corporations have taken over 10,000 hectares of land to mine for deposits of nickel and chromite since 1983, despite opposition from locals, according to a 2019 report on Mongabay.com.

Alexis Oyayino, 47, a fisherman, said they recently told Varquez about their troubles in catching enough fish.

“We told Bishop Varquez that earlier we could go home before midnight because we would have already caught enough fish. But now, it takes all night to get a decent catch. We need to go a few kilometers further,” Oyayino told UCA News.

He said that not only does he catch fewer fish, but he also needs to spend more time and fuel for going further out to sea.

“Of course, it’s more work and capital because instead of using 3 liters of gasoline, now I use 5-7 liters,” Oyayino added.

Residents claim mining activities do not benefit local communities particularly the indigenous peoples on the island.

In 2020, residents saw a cargo ship that docked at a local pier to collect 7,000 tons of chromite and other minerals.

“We keep on seeing ships that dock at our ports and trucks loaded with minerals headed towards them. But we do not have the benefits of mining here … we’re still poor,” another fisherman, Christian Mustopa, 42, told UCA News.

Mustopa claimed even animals such as the critically endangered Philippine cockatoo are no longer visible on the island.

“Our island is a natural habitat for the Philippine cockatoo but now it’s gone. We made efforts to protect them, but their ultimate protection are the trees and forests of the island. Without them, they could be extinct … this is why we went to the bishop to call on our leaders to intervene,” Mustopa added.

A leader from the anti-mining group, Alyansa Tigil Mina said the government must investigate the allegations and stop mining on the island.

“Stop large-scale mining that only profits those who are in power and corporations. It’s anti-poor and anti-environment. If we don’t stop this, there will be no more Homonhon Island in a few decades,” Alyansa secretary Karlo de Dios told UCA News.

For decades, environmental and Church groups have been opposing open-pit mining on the island, citing detrimental impacts on the communities and the environment.

In 2021, Homonhon priest Father Christian Ofilan said the “sacredness” of the island was lost due to “our irresponsibility” and called on the government to stop “desecrating” the island.

UCA News reached out to Techiron Resources Inc., one of the mining firms operating on the island, but did not receive any response.

Techiron is currently mining 1,500 hectares on Homonhon Island with chromite production of 34,108 dry metric tons valued at 296,595,330 pesos (US$5.4 billion) in 2020, according to Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism.