Difference between revisions of "Sarangani, Philippines"

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Revision as of 12:58, 18 September 2011

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==[[Sarangani News]]==
==[[Sarangani News]]==
'''Sarangani town holds public dialogue on mining project'''
'''Hundreds join coastal clean-up, mangrove planting'''
*Source: http://208.184.76.173/nation/article.aspx?publicationsubcategoryid=67&articleid=727209
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/?m=7&r=r12&id=54859
* September 15, 2011 12:00 AM
*Sunday, September 18, 2011
:by The Philippines Star
:by Cocoy Sexcion




SARANGANI , Philippines – Malungon town in this province hosted the other day a public consultation and dialogue between more than 2,000 participants and the proponent of the Tampakan copper-gold project, which is set to be the biggest mine ever to operate in the country.
MALAPATAN, Sarangani, September 18 (PIA) -- Hundreds of volunteers gathered at the coast of barangay Poblacion for a coastal clean-up and mangrove planting and growing activity Friday (September 16) in observance of the month-long international coastal clean-up celebration.
 
“Today, we are going to plant 1,000 mangrove seedlings. This activity is our contribution to the international coastal clean-up celebration and this is also part of the commitment of the Alcantara Group of Companies to plant 50,000 mangroves all around Sarangani Bay in the next three years from 2011 to 2013,” said Richlie Lyndon Magtulis, executive director of Conrado and Ladislawa Alcantara Foundation Inc. (CLAFI).
The public consultation is part of the regulatory process required of Sagittarius Mines Inc. (SMI), government contractor for the Tampakan mine, as it seeks an environmental compliance certificate (ECC) for its mining project set to commence operation in 2016.
“We are doing this because we are very dependent on Sarangani Bay for our businesses. For almost 50 years, the Agri Business Unit of the Alcantara Group has been relying on Sarangani Bay, so in return, we would like to preserve and protect the bay not only for our benefits but for the benefit of the people in Sarangani as well,” Magtulis added.
 
The event was spearheaded by CLAFI in partnership with the local government of Malapatan and provincial government of Sarangani through its Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office. It was participated in by volunteers from Department of Education, Malapatan Police Station, 73rd Infantry Battalion, social welfare beneficiaries, Department of Interior and Local Government, and barangay officials and employees of the host barangay.
The transmission lines and pipelines, part of the key facilities for the Tampakan mine, will pass through Malungon town and SMI is required to obtain endorsement from the municipal government.
“This is all part of our campaign under the peace and development outreach program of the battalion. We are helping the LGUs and the community in the conduct of environmental protection,” said Lt. Nestor Valenzuela, commanding officer of the Alpha Company, 73rd IB.
 
“Rest assured that the 73rd IB will continue to support any activity with regards to preservation and protection of the environment,” he added.
Malungon town is 37 kilometers north of General Santos City, the nearest city, and belongs to the province of Sarangani.
In Sarangani, there are 27 different species of mangroves out of the 54 endemic in the whole country, said provincial environment employee Jopy Caneda in his briefing on mangroves and solid waste management.
 
He said that in Sarangani, 300,000 kilos of waste are generated everyday, 70 percent of which are biodegradable and almost 20 percent percent of those that are plastics are thrown in the bay.
In an earlier interview with the local media, Malungon Mayor Reynaldo Constantino said the local economy has already felt the initial benefits of the Tampakan mine in terms of livelihood and employment opportunities.
“Since it’s coastal clean-up celebration, let’s manage our waste and start cleaning our bay,” Caneda said. (PIO Sarangani/PIA General Santos City/CTA)
 
Constantino also emphasized that the project endorsement would come from the community itself with the municipal government merely “exercising” it.
 
“The people of Malungon will collectively decide if we will support this project or not,” he said.
 
For his part, Malungon Vice Mayor Benjamin Guilley encouraged the participants to use the activity as an opportunity to dialogue with the project proponent.


==Photo Gallery of Sarangani, Philippines==
==Photo Gallery of Sarangani, Philippines==
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