Governor Corazon Malanyaon strongly reiterated her position in enforcing strict regulations of all mining activities in the province of Davao Oriental.
During the Mining Industry Briefing with the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) at the Provincial Capitol, Governor Malanyaon asserted the Provincial Government’s authority as an independent Local Government Unit over the mining operations in the province.
During the briefing, Governor Malanyaon checked the inventory of all existing mining tenements in the province and the status of mining operations and permits granted by the MGB.
Gov. Malanyaon said, “Davao Oriental has never made mining a priority.” However, as sustainable mining is part of the national policy, it has compelled the province to assert its rights over taxes and revenue generated from it, which some mining companies have failed to comply with. “If there are no taxes and our province is being expoited, anong benepisyo sa aming mga tao? (What is the benefit to our people). I am just here to protect the interest of my people and my province,” the Governor said.
For the province to fully enforce mining regulations, Governor Malanyaon appointed Brigadier General Leopoldo Imbang, Jr. (Ret.), who is tasked with enforcing mining regulations and environmental laws in the province.
Brig. Gen. Imbang served as the Commander of the 28th Infantry Battalion, Philippine Army, and later became the Deputy Commander of the Eastern Mindanao Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
“I requested General Imbang to help me see to it that everything that is due the provincial government will be given to us, especially concerning extraction and mining fees,” she said. While he would enforce the regulatory function of the Environment and Natural Resources Office (ENRO), Environment Planner Dolores Valdesco, ENRO Officer, will take charge of environmental protection, preservation, and conservation concerns.
In the Governor’s Inaugural Address, she specifically stated her policy on Revenue Generation. “We will intensify the collection of real property taxes. We will undertake all measures possible to collect every centavo of the extraction and permit fees on sand and gravel, aggregates, stones, and ores sourced everywhere in the province, and which tax collection will be shared with the barangays, municipalities/city. These are the only two major sources of revenue for the province; thus, extensive collection should be enforced,” said the Governor.
Aside from the strict enforcement of mining laws, Governor Malanyaon also emphasized her stand not to allow mining operations within the vicinity of the Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary, Mindanao’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site. She objected to any plan to expand the mining operations near Mount Hamiguitan.
“This early, they [mining operators] should be warned that there should be no encroachment in the protected areas of Mount Hamiguitan,” said Gov. Malanyaon, noting the province’s painstaking efforts to have it inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2014 and its agreement with the UNESCO to “protect the area from any intruder.”
MGB Regional Director Atty. Jasper Alberto Lascano assured the Governor that there are currently no mining activities near Mount Hamiguitan. He said the only area where there is active mining is in Banaybanay town, operated by the Riverbend Consolidated Mining Corporation-Arc Nickel Resources, which has just resumed operations following the lifting of the cease-and-desist order after the company complied with the required and “costly” corrective measures.
RD Lascano further assured the Governor that the agency will fully support the province’s stand and will make every effort to ensure that the province’s environment and its people’s interests are protected. (Karen Lou Deloso-PIO)
