Government officials, as well as the residents of Sta. Catalina, Negros Oriental is calling on the national government to stop the mining exploration projects in Sitio Tarog in Barangay San Francisco.
In a report by the Inquirer, Sta. Catalina Mayor Peve Ligan said that their administration did not provide a “go signal” for the mining exploration in the area, adding that it is damaging to the environment and has risked the lives of the residents.
The said mining exploration is being conducted by Midan Corp., covering 844 hectares of land in Sta. Catalina, and began around two weeks ago.
Ligan added that the municipal government has created a task force that will investigate the mining exploration activity, which is allegedly located near an active fault line, Southern Negros Fault.
The Sta. Catalina mayor said that the mining firm obtained a license to explore from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Mines and Geosciences Bureau on March 12, 2018.
Ligan said that she was not yet the mayor of the town at the time. While the mining exploration was halted during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Midan Corp. was able to renew its license to explore in 2021.
Ligan added that she has written a letter to DENR and Midan Corp. expressing her concern about the exploration and has asked the two parties two stop the project but was ignored.
