A boatload of fishermen moves away from a ship used in dredging sand along the Cagayan River in Aparri town. (Photo by Mark Saludes)
By Mark Saludes
Sep 30 2021
Everyone needs to rally behind communities that are opposing black sand mining operations in the northern Philippines.
This was the urgent call of Father Antonio Labiao, executive secretary of Caritas Philippines, noting that many civil society groups are looking at the activity as “a local issue, not a national concern.”
He said civil society organizations and faith-based groups “have a huge role in educating the public that this ecological concern affects the entire country.”
“We must stand together against any activity that harms the environment and the communities,” said the priest. “We can help in exposing the truth and encourage the public to speak,” he added.
Cagayan province in the northern Philippines hosts a large-scale offshore magnetite mining, which is supposed to be fully operational starting this year.
The group Cagayan Advocates for the Integrity of Creation alleged that the Cagayan River was also subjected to “a destructive black sand extraction in the guise of a river restoration project.”
Read the full news in LiCAS.news.
