Church leaders and representatives of the Dioceses of Marbel in the southern Philippines march to the provincial capitol in the province of South Cotabato to submit a petition opposing the operation of open-pit mines in the province on Oct. 4, 2021. (Photo supplied by the Social Action Center of the Diocese of Marbel)
By Jose Torres Jr.
Oct 5 2021
The campaign, which was launched on August 16, had already gathered 78,229 signatures
The Diocese of Marbel in the southern Philippines submitted a petition to the provincial government of South Cotabato on October 4 to signify the people’s opposition to open-pit mining in the province.
“The , inspired by St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of ecology … express our call to protect the South Cotabato Environment Code by upholding Section 22 (b), which prohibits open-pit mining in the province,” read a statement released on the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi.
The campaign, which was launched on August 16, had already gathered 78,229 signatures, 32,801 from the province and 45,428 from the rest of the country.
“We hope that these signatures shall be included as an important factor in the decision-making of our legislators that involves the quality of life of the present and future South Cotabateños,” read the statement.
Open-pit mining, also known as open-cast or open-cut mining and in larger contexts mega-mining, is a surface mining technique of extracting rock or minerals from the earth from an open-air pit.
It is opposed by pro-environment groups because the process causes changes to vegetation, soil, and bedrock, which ultimately contributes to changes in surface hydrology and groundwater levels.
In March this year, the municipal council of Tampakan passed a resolution seeking the lifting of the provincial ban on open-pit mining.
The existing ban is reported to be the reason behind the delay of the development of the Tampakan Mining Project, Southeast Asia’s largest known undeveloped copper and gold minefield.
Read more in – LiCAS.news
