http://www.gmanews.tv/story/29281/Palace-removes-Marinduque-from-mining-list
Bishop Reynaldo Evangelista said Marinduque has been removed by Malacañang from the government’s list of 24 priority sites for mining projects.
Evangelista said he personally requested President Arroyo to remove Marinduque from the list of mining explorations offered to potential investors since December 2004.
Evangelista said the government will no longer allow mining exploration in the province for the next 50 years. Marinduque is Region 4’s smallest province.
“Marinduque was still in that list in spite of the Marcopper disaster that happened 10 years ago… we were surprised why they’re mining again when the province has yet to recover. So we said enough," Evangelista said.
“She (President Arroyo) asked me if I have a special concern so I told her about our campaign for Marinduque’s delisting as a mining priority. She said okay and asked her assistant to call Secretary (Angelo) Reyes," the Marinduque bishop said.
In March 1996, toxic mine tailings of five to 10 cubic meters per second were disgorged into the Makulapnit and Boac rivers in Marinduque by the Marcopper Mining Corporation causing flash floods that buried five villages, poisoned marine creatures and contaminated water supply.
During that time, Marcopper’s operation was producing 30,000 tons of copper daily and reaping US$ 7.32 million in net profit.
Evangelista said the mining operations created a crater on
In 2005, the provincial government of Marinduque charged Marcopper’s Canadian partner Placer Dome Inc. with a multi-million dollar suit for environmental damage. The suit was filed in
“I told this (concern) to businessmen but they believed the province will prosper through mining. That’s a myth. Marinduque is up to now a poor province. We are number 14 among the poorest provinces in the
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Palace removes Marinduque from mining list
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