Coal mining in Lake Sebu mulled
By Franz R. Sumangil | The Manila Times | December 9, 2021
THE Provincial Council of South Cotabato endorsed the coal mining project of Daguma Agro-Minerals Incorporated (DAMI), Sultan Energy Philippines Corp. (SEPC), and Bonanza Energy Resources Inc. (BERI) in Barangay Ned, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato in a session on Monday, December 6.
Around 9,000 hectares of land is encompassed in the Coal Operating Contracts (COC) 126, 134 and 138 of the said mining companies.
The resolution released by the Provincial Council requires that “strip mining with progressive rehabilitation” must be the mining method to be employed and not the open-pit mining method that is prohibited in the Environment Code of the province.
The Provincial Council unanimously endorsed the implementation of the COCs of DAMI, SEPC, and BERI along with the approval of the Department of Energy.
The session was attended by Board Members Hilario De Pedro 4th, Dardanilo Dar, Henry Ladot, Rolando Malabuyoc, Edgar Sambog, Eamon Matti, Jinky Avance-Samodal, Ellen Grace Subere-Albios, Ester Marin Catorce, Antonio Fungan, Alyssa Marie Fale, Rose Grace Achurra, Noel Escobillo, and presiding officer South Cotabato Vice Gov. Vicente de Jesus.
Ramon Ang, CEO of San Miguel Corp. which owns DAMI, also attended the session virtually as he assured the council that they will not incorporate the open-pit method in their mining activity.
It can be recalled that the Provincial Council denied the coal mine project in 2018 as it allegedly violated the South Cotabato Environment Code.
The opposing argument at that time was that strip mining is considered as open-pit mining and violative of Section 22-b of South Cotabato’s Environment Code.
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The coal deposits in Barangay Ned, however, were also seen as the reason for multiple landslides and tension cracks in some areas in the village.
Thus, based on a geohazard threat advisory of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau-Region12 issued to Lake Sebu Mayor Floro Gandam on Aug. 13, 2019, one of the recommendations to mitigate said disasters is the extraction of the coal deposits in the village.
Source: The Manila Times