The Borongan Diocese in Eastern Samar has raised anew the public’s protest against the mining operations that have “escalated” more at Homonhon island in Guiuan town of the province.
In a letter to the government and concerned agencies, Bishop Crispin Varquez expressed the people’s sentiment over the mining operations in the island, particularly on “their immediate and negative effects on the communities and the natural environment.”
The bishop said they are “very much disturbed” by what is happening in the island, where the residents and communities are helpless in overcoming the mining operations, which he described as “very alarming.”
Varquez said there are currently four big mining companies operating in Homonhon, which bears huge deposit of nickel and chromite.
The 20-kilometer-long island has been grappling with open-pit mining since the early 1990s, and no amount of peaceful protests from the public, despite the help of the diocese, was able to stop it.
Late last month, representatives from the island’s Barangays Bitaugan, Casuguran, and Inapulangan, met with members of the Bitaugan Youth, and St. John the Baptist Church, in a gathering that conducted a silent protest against the escalating mining operations, which they said had impacted and direly affected the environment.
Varquez said: “We call on our government leaders and concerned agencies to take action on this matter,” emphasizing that the Diocese of Borongan has been spearheading campaigns to protect whatever the remaining biodiversity of the island.
Despite what looks like a losing protest against the destructive mining in Homonhon, the bishop has been optimistic that this time the environment authorities of the government will take heed of the concern and voices of the people. —-Miriam G. Desacada