COMPOSTELA VALLEY — Provincial Gov. Arturo T. Uy yesterday urged municipal mayors to get serious in implementing and enforcing the “No Habitation Policy” in all accident-prone mining areas in the province.
He aired his call during his State of the Province Address (SOPA) delivered Wednesday at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan Session Hall to prevent more loss of lives by “imposing provincial governing policies and measures” to regulate mining activities.
Uy, however, admitted of being helpless in putting a stop to small-scale mining as some have come to depend on it as a lucrative economic activity they can engage into, “in the absence of a gainful livelihood in the lowlands.”
“To tell you frankly, hindi po natin kayang pahintuin ang mga minero sa pagmimina hanggang wala tayong alternatibo pangkabuhayan na maibibigay sa kanila.(we cannot stop the miners from mining as long as we don’t have alternative livelihood to provide them.),” he said in his SOPA.
As he considered the landslide incident in Barangay Napnapan, Pantukan as “unforgetable” because it cost lives and properties “beyond the acceptable level”, Uy declared he is serious in preventing such incident to happen again.
“We understand that (mining) is the only source of livelihood of many but, we will not allow another loss of lives under our watch. Human lives are far more important and can never be exchanged for any other material thing that mother earth could offer,” he said.
Due to occurrences of landslide incidents in small-scale mining areas, Uy last year pushed for the creation of the No Habitation policy that the Sangguniang Panlalawigan approved on the same year. He also had signed an executive order creating the Provincial Multi-Sectoral Task Force for Small-Scale Mines Safety, Health and Environmental Protection.
Uy is looking forward for the passage of Sustainable Environment Management Code of Compostela Valley “to address the urgent environmental concerns at hand.”
He called for unified responsible actions to take care of the environment having admitted of being bombarded with news on environmental degradation unfolding in Compostela Valley.
On top of his environmental protection thrusts is the local implementation of the National Greening Program of President Benigno Simeon Aquino.
He has rolled out since last year the Provincial Greening Program as part of the Climate Change Adaptation, through which 1.3 million trees of assorted species but he wants 20 million more trees to get planted by year 2015. (PIA)
