Mining not biggest environmental issue anymore in Palawan – PNNI’s Exec

• Source: http://palawan-news.com/mining-not-biggest-environmental-issue-anymore-palawan-pnnis-exec/
• Monday, February 6, 2017

By Catherine Santos

Contrary to what is commonly shown in national media, mining is not the biggest environmental issue anymore in Palawan, said Palawan NGO Network Incorporated’s (PNNI) Atty. Robert Chan while talking to journos-participants in the Environmental Reporting Seminar conducted by the Philippine Press Institute on Thursday, February 2.

According to Chan, the top problems in Palawan, in the context of size of affected areas and number of available enforcers, will be illegal fishing, followed by illegal logging, with mining only landing as a far third concern.

“Because of the largeness of the area at konti lang ang nagbabantay, I would say na ang pinakamalaki problema sa Palawan ay illegal fishing issue, second is forestry o illegal logging issue, and mining is a far third, malayong pangatlo,” Chan told Palawan News in a follow-up interview.

“I’m not saying we should not deal with mining. But don’t put all the resources against mining. May mas malalang problema,” he added.

The biggest challenge: combat illegal fishing

Palawan is composed of around 1,700 islands and islets with almost 2,000 kilometers of irregular coastline. In terms of archipelagic internal waters, Palawan has among the biggest marine resources, which are currently under threat from exploitation such as illegal fishing.

Atty. Chan admitted that they still don’t have exact figures or definite data on illegal fishing and other marine violations in the province, but they have observations derived from their para-enforcers.

“We have no exact data but our experience as para-enforcers, the top problem is illegal fishing. Sa dagat, bukod sa napakalaki, walang nagbabantay na gaya ng sa mining at logging,” he lamented.

PNNI has recorded around 50 confiscated boats used in cyanide and dynamite fishing since 2009.

Government efforts to protect the province’s marine resources currently include the operation of a Provincial Law Enforcement Task force, which is composed of the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development, the provincial government’s environmental arm ‘Bantay Palawan’, DENR, respective municipal police stations and other law-enforcement agencies. In 2016, the Task Force have confiscated 241 different species of turtle, 172 of which are marine species. Authorities have also confiscated 19 sacks of dead corals last year.

Meanwhile, due to the implementation of the seasonal fishing policy for some fish species, the Task Force have recovered 1,389 heads of red Suno, 35 heads of Loba and 31 pieces of Lapung Baboy in 2016.

Forestry and illegal logging issues

Palawan has a total land area of 17,030.75 square kilometers (6,575.61 square miles), around 666,000 hectares of which are considered as ‘forest cover’. These forested areas, based on latest data from the PSCDS and Forest Management Bureau, are decreasing at a rate of 6,490 hectares/year.

Per Chan, Palawan still has the largest forest cover in the country but the size of such areas is already gradually declining from around 1M hectares in early 1970s. Illegal logging has been cited as among the chief causes of deforestation in the province.

The PNNI’s para-enforcement team have confiscated more than 700 units of chainsaw since 2009.

“Imagine sa Palawan, isang chainsaw ang mapuputol sa isang gabi. Eh naka 700 na kami, imagine, we are saving 700 trees in one day?” Chan said.

Meanwhile, government authorities have recovered 13 units of chainsaw in 2016. The Task Force have also confiscated around 17928.43 board feet of assorted lumber, with Ipil lumber being the most “in-demand” at around 5,027 bd ft.

PCSDS Executive Director Nelson Devanadera said he agrees with Chan about mining not being Palawan’s biggest environmental problem anymore. However, the PCSDS chief said he views timber poaching, aggravated by kaingin, as the biggest among the current challenges. Devanadera further explained that the root cause of such illegal activity is poverty wherein people solely depend on natural resources for their livelihood.

The province’s mining situation

Three mining operations in Palawan were suspended by the DENR last year, namely those by Berong Nickel Corporation (BNC) in Quezon and CitiNickel in Narra and Sofronio Española.

The mining-related companies left operating are Rio Tuba Nickel Mining Corporation and Coral Bay Nickel Corporation (CBNC) in Bataraza.

Per Chan, Palawan’s forest cover is 600K hectares while the mining operations of RTNMC, BNC and Citinickel will not go beyond 5,00 hectares. “5, 000 hectares lang, and yet we are putting all the resources…” he said.

Board Member Albert Rama, who chairs the Committee on Environmental Protection in the Provincial Board, told Palawan News in previous interviews that rampant illegal kaingin and not mining is still the number one cause of deforestation and environmental degradation in the province.

Rama said there are around 189,504 hectares that need to be reforested and majority of these are due to kaingin.

Possible solution?

Chan said the problem is enforcement, therefore the solution is to strengthen enforcement of already “many” environmental laws and policies. While Devanadera believes that poverty is the root cause of environmental degradation in Palawan, Chan attributed the problem to the pride of political leaders who do not want to listen to the sentiments of its people.