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[av_heading heading=’ Mining firms should increase rehab fund – DENR director ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
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ILOILO City – Mining companies must increase their rehabilitation fund and restore areas they damaged, according to Director Jim Sampulna of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Region 6.
“Dapat kung ano ang destruction nila, sila mismo ang gagawa, indi ‘yung babayad lang sila sa gobyerno,” said Sampulna.
The director also said mining firms have to pay the civilians such as fisherfolk and farmers displaced by mining activities.
Sampulna was reacting to President Rodrigo Duterte’s pronouncements against irresponsible mining during Monday’s State of the Nation Address of the country’s chief executive. Among others, Duterte threatened to tax irresponsible mining firms “to death.”
Sampulna, however, clarified there were no mining areas in Western Visayas except for the coal mine in Semirara Island, Caluya, Antique.
There used to be mining sites in Capiz but operations there already stopped, he said.
Sampulna also said it was the Department of Energy that issued permits to the coal mine in Semirara and that DENR’s roles were only to issue the environmental compliance certificate and monitor the coal mining firm’s compliance to what’s stipulated in the certificate.
The director also acknowledged that one of the problems in ensuring mining companies’ compliance to environmental laws were the evaluators themselves.
“Kasi minsan ang nangyayari, ang mga evaluators or monitoring teams natin parang natatakpan ang mga mata nila. Hindi nila nakikita ang dapat tingnan doon sa mga violations. Dahil mga kaibigan nila ang mga mining companies, sige lang nang sige,” said Sampulna.
Duterte said the protection of the environment must be made a priority over mining.
“This policy is non-negotiable,” the President stressed./PN
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