Borongan mayor opposes mining in Eastern Samar
TACLOBAN CITY—Borongan City Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda has declared his opposition to the plan of the Eastern Visayas office of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) to open sand mining applications in the city and two other municipalities in Eastern Samar.
Agda said the city government is firm in its position against any form of mining and that the city council is considering the passage of a resolution to formally express its opposition.
“From the very start, we have been against any mining activity in Borongan City, whether in our waters or in the mountains. We want to preserve our forests, which serve as our natural barrier against typhoons,” Agda said in a phone interview on June 10.
The MGB, an agency under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), posted a notice on June 4 inviting applications for industrial sand and gravel mining permits in Borogan and the towns of Hernani and General MacArthur.
The proposed mining areas cover 3,784.98 hectares in Hernani and General MacArthur, and 2,759.79 ha in Borongan.
Too risky
The proposed plan immediately drew opposition from the Diocese of Borongan. Fr. James Abella, director of the diocesan Commission on Social Action, Justice, and Peace, urged residents and leaders in the affected communities to reject the proposed mining operations.
“These mining activities will not benefit our communities. Instead, they will lead to environmental degradation, and the people will be the ones to suffer the consequences,” Abella said in an online interview last June 7.
Agda said he hoped to meet with MGB officials to clarify the scope of the proposal, particularly the specific locations to be covered and the types of minerals targeted for extraction.
“While the plan might still push through, we want to have a dialogue with MGB officials. We need to know exactly which areas are covered and what minerals they intend to extract in Borongan,” he said.
Agda added that beyond environmental destruction, mining could also displace local livelihoods, particularly those who depend on fishing.
“This could eventually affect our economy. And what I fear is that people who lose their jobs may be pushed to go to the mountains,” Agda warned, alluding to possible unrest or insurgency risks.
Dredging efforts
While the mayor said he was not entirely opposed to limited sand and gravel operations, especially if they could aid in the dredging efforts along rivers like the Loom River, he maintained a firm stance against any mining activity in the city’s mountain areas.
“Sand and gravel could help save government resources for dredging, but I’m absolutely against any mining in our mountains,” he said.
Agda noted Borongan has known deposits of gold and bauxite, but reiterated that preservation must come first.
Earlier, barangay officials whose communities are situated along the Loom River, a major water source in Borongan, have passed a joint resolution urging city and provincial leaders to reject the mining proposals.
Large-scale mining operations for nickel ore and chromite are already active in other parts of Eastern Samar, particularly on the islands of Manicani and Homonhon, both under the jurisdiction of Guiuan town.
MGB Regional Director Glenn Noble, in a June 7 private message to Inquirer, has clarified that the June 4 notice for mining applications did not mean that mining operations in parts of Eastern Samar would immediately begin, as these applications would still need to undergo evaluation.
