leading allegations vs Bulacan governor

MisFirst posted 04:41am (Mla time) July 17, 2006
Inquirer

http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=1&index=1&story_id=10188

Editor's Note: Published on page A16 of the July 17, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

IN THE INTEREST OF FAIRNESS AND balanced reporting, allow me to clarify certain points raised in the news story titled “Mining permits issued by gov, says labor group.” (PDI, 7/4/06) The story was not only grossly unfair to our governor, it was also misleading, to say the least. It did not present our side of the story. The governor could have shed light on the allegations raised against her.

The power of the provincial governor to issue permits and licenses is clearly provided for by the Local Government Code and Sec. 71 of the Philippine Mining Act of 1995:“Any qualified person may apply for a quarry permit with the Provincial Governor/City Mayor through the Provincial/City Mining Regulatory Board for the extraction, removal and disposition of quarry resources covering an area of not more than five (5) hectares for a term of five years from date of issuance.”

The issuance of the permit is scrutinized and deliberated on by members of the Provincial Mining and Regulatory Board (PMRB), which is composed of the regional director of the Mines and Geo-Sciences Bureau (DENR-MGB) who sits as chair, and four members who represent the governor (usually, the head of the Environment and Natural Resources Office in the province), small-scale miners, big-scale miners and non-government organizations.

The governor only issues a permit or license upon the endorsement of the PMRB.

The same is true with the issuance of the Environment Compliance Certificate, which is provided for under DENR Admin Order No. 92-30, Sec 3.3. “Guidance for the transfer and implementation of DENR functions devolved to the government units.”

The records of the PMRB show no instance that the province issued a permit to firms sharing a common business address. The province or the board will not embark on clearly unlawful undertakings.

We vehemently deny that Onofre Sebastian—who according to the Inquirer story, was the provincial administrator—was ever a dummy of the governor. Sebastian served as the executive director of a Ford Foundation-funded education project in the province until his death in 2001. I have been the provincial administrator of Bulacan for 14 years now.

The provincial government will continue to fight for the protection, preservation and restoration of the 2,117-hectare Biak na Bato National Park. The allegations against us are diversionary tactics and malicious attempts to confuse the public and discredit our crusade to put a stop to all forms of mining operations in Biak na Bato and to save the park.

The provincial government always makes sure that the issuance of permits and licenses would not lead to the destruction of our natural resources and jeopardize the welfare of all stakeholders.

—MA. GLADYS C. STA. RITA, provincial administrator, Province of Bulacan
The information on the Biak na Bato controversy was given by sources named in the published stories. There was no intention to unduly put the governor in a bad light or muddle the issue. —NORMAN BORDADORA, PDI reporter