Homonhon Island residents were dismayed over the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ (DENR) decision to allow the loading of minerals carried by Chinese-manned vessels on their island.
“Nakakadismaya ang desisyon,” Father Christian Ofilan of the island’s St. John Baptist Parish told FYT reporters.
“We thought na ipagtatanggol kami ng gobyerno, pero parang mas nangunguna ang interes ng foreign nationals,” he added.
Ofilan has called on the local government to protect the Homonhon residents, which the local government answered with a resolution.
Local officials said that they received word of suspending mineral ore export permit the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) granted to the mining firm Techiron Resources Inc. on March 31, days before Eastern Samar declared a lockdown.
However, in less than a week the bishop received a letter from MGB-8, allowing the lift of suspension.
One of the island’s residents Daipen Montes heard of the DENR’s turnaround decision, which was supported by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease.
“Itong IATF, wala sila sa posisyon namin kaya okay lang sa kanila – pero wala kaming doctor, malayo kami sa hospital. Hindi lang basta-basta ang pagsunod namin sa quarantine protocol,” Montes was quoted as saying in the FYT report.
According to the IATF resolution, “The policy on the unhampered flow of cargoes is a nationwide policy that must be strictly followed in all LGUs nationwide following the directive of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on 19 March 2020.”
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) certified that the mining firm is a registered exporter that operates within the island with “proper and legal permits covered by a Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA).”
Montes said she was aware of this, but she does not understand why the government could not at least postpone the loading activity at a time when the country is dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
“Kung pwede lang sana, hintayin nalang nila na mawala ang problema sa COVID-19 kasi dati naman malaya sila para magkarga,” Montes pleaded.
Residents of the island held a meeting on April 14 on ways to implement community quarantine due to the new government order.
She said that the only way to fight the outbreak is to prevent outsiders from entering the remote island.
“Hindi nila kami masisisi kasi malayo kami sa gobyerno, sa health facility. Hindi nila kami masisisi na matakot at mabahala,” she said.
