Public Hearing/Consultation on Declaring Portions of Vintar, Ilocos Norte as Mining Reservation

Last January 17, 2012, representatives from Mines and Geosciences Bureau conducted a public hearing/consultation in the Vintar Municipal Auditorium to get the Vintarinian's collective opinion on the matter of declaring certain portions of the municipality of Vintar as Mining Reservation.

The meeting was attended by residents, barangay officials, professionals, organizations, schools, and others. It was also attended by concerned people from nearby towns.

The initial mood of the meeting was negative. There have been unverified reports of negative/suspicious activities of people who want mining to continue. I say unverified because there have been no formal investigations on the matter.

The MGB representatives gave a powerpoint presentation on the physical descriptions of the proposed mining reservation. They cited the some laws.

They said the royalty fee which is 5% of production paid by the mining companies will go to their bureau.

From my research, I note that the excise tax is 2% for areas which are not declared as mineral reservation. And that by declaring an area to be a mineral reservation, the government will generate more income (5% on top of the existing 2%) from the mining venture.

There were some points noted by the attendees:

1. The method of giving notice for the public hearing/consultation was not sufficient.  
2. There was no discussion on the ecological impact of a mining venture.
3. There was no mention of geohazards in Vintar.
4. There was no mention of the Vintar Watershed which supports not only Vintar , but also some other towns.
5. The direct question on the accountability in case of mining mismanagement was not answered.
6. The direct question on the probability of the portions of Vintar being declared as mining reservation even without the consent of the populace was not answered.

The move to declare portions of Vintar as mining reservation is strongly opposed by the Vintarinians. As evidenced by a resolution, the Sangguniang Bayan members had already prepared their answer beforehand.

The mining situation in the Philippines is outlined in DENR's article on Mining in the Philippines. As I see things, before the DENR/MGB looks for potential mining reservations, they should strengthen the laws on mining, especially its implementation. Otherwise, they are just leaving the local residents open for exploitation.

DENR's current motto is: "Mining shall be Pro-People and Pro-Environment in sustaining wealth creation and improved quality of life." If DENR/MGB really cares for the Filipino people, it should first resolve previous questions and issues on mining before they embark on another possibly short-term fund generating venture.