A mining firm’s information and education campaign (IEC) in Sibuyan Island, Romblon was met with opposition by residents in San Fernando town.
Based on a report by the Philippine Daily Inquirer, environmental group Bayay Sibuyanon, Inc. said an unidentified environmental consultancy group commissioned by APMC attempted to conduct an IEC – a requirement for the company to obtain its environmental compliance certificate (ECC) from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The ECC is specifically for APMC’s proposed nickel project on the island.
Different sectors in San Fernando were given a letter of invitation through social media a day before the scheduled IEC.
After numerous questions and reactions from stakeholders, which revolved around benefits to the rich and environmental concerns, APMC decided to stop its IEC.
Living Laudato Si’ Philippines executive director and local environmentalist Rodne Galiche said they will not stop protecting their island, which is one of the country’s last biodiversity hotspots, adding that the mountains, rivers, and seas in Sibuyan “are more important than whatever wealth mining can give.”
In 2011, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) issued a cease and desist order against APMC in exploring Sibuyan Island’s mineral reserve due to a lack of social acceptability.
The company was supposed to explore nickel in 1,580 hectares at the foot of Mt. Guiting-Guiting.
MGB lifted the order last September 2021 after outgoing Pres. Rodrigo Duterte, through Executive Order No. 130, lifted the nine-year moratorium on new mineral production sharing agreements.
Sibuyan Island is one of the richest sites in the world in terms of plant and animal density, diversity, and endemism. The National Museum has identified 1,551 trees with 123 species in a single hectare. 54 of these species are considered endemic.
