NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines – Two Roman Catholic dioceses in Negros Occidental and a coalition of progressive groups have sounded alarm bells over what they called a looming environmental disaster because of at least 17 applications for coastal mining exploration in Negros Island Region (NIR) and Western Visayas, quietly logged with the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB).
Eleven of the applications cover sites in Negros Island; the remaining six, in Panay Island.
The Negros Anti-Mining Alliance (NAMA), an umbrella group of 15 organizations – environmentalists, fisherfolk, non-governmental organizations, and the Dioceses of Bacolod and San Carlos – has vowed to fight the proposed mining operations.
They said the applications target deposits of magnetite black sand and palladium, minerals found along coastal areas across Negros and Panay, including the provinces of Iloilo, Antique, Capiz, and Aklan.
If approved, the projects would carve through 17 coastal localities in Negros Occidental, from Hinoba-an in the south to Sagay City in the north, including the provincial capital, Bacolod.
Opponents see a pattern. The push for coastal and offshore mining, they said, is part of a broader exploitation of the areas’ natural resources – one that benefits private companies at the expense of communities already facing problems of environmental degradation.
The mining companies listed as proponents in MGB records include:
Negros Island
- Philippine Alliance Integrated Mineral Development Incorporated
- Silver Mining Development Corporation
- Life Minerals Corporation
- Mount Mogan Resources and Development Corporation
- AOKI Mining Corporation
- Toneja’s Construction Supply Corporation (four applications)
- Yehey Exploration and Resources
Panay
- Glendale Mining Development Corporation
- Ever Gifted Mining Corporation
- Cypress Mining Development Corporation
- First Palladium Mining Resources Corporation
- Asian Palladium Mining Corporation
- Filipinas Palladium Mining Resources Corporation
- South Luzon Exploration Resources Incorporated
Edwin Balajadia, area manager of the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM), told Rappler on Thursday, February 13, that the coalition has tasked a monitoring team to track updates on the proposed black sand and palladium mining in Negros and Panay.
“The applications were pending at MGB late last year, but we don’t know yet if some of these have already been approved,” he said. “Sadly, MGB in Western Visayas is ignoring our queries about the latest update. Instead, they refer us to their central office in Manila.”
Rappler sought comments from the MGB office in Iloilo, but officials declined to comment. Joan Nathaniel Gerangaya, Negros Occidental’s environment and natural resources officer, also declined to comment, saying he cannot speak for the MGB.
Balajadia expressed concerns that some applications may have already been approved and that clandestine operations may have begun in Negros Occidental, citing “reliable tips” received by PRRM.
NAMA met on Tuesday and Wednesday, February 11 and 12, in Silay City, Negros Occidental, to strategize various initiatives aimed at amplifying its strong opposition to black sand and palladium mining in Negros and Panay.
“We need to be vigilant now…. Allowing both black sand and palladium mining in Negros will mean thousands of our fisherfolk will suffer from loss of livelihoods, alongside environmental degradation that will negatively impact marine resources and biodiversity,” Balajadia said.
On one hand, black sand contains magnetite, garnet, and epidote, making it resistant to weathering and capable of forming natural placer deposits. It is a valuable source for extracting metals such as iron, titanium, and even gold. Palladium, on the other hand, is considered a precious metal due to its rarity and significance in industrial applications.
Extracting both minerals could lead to land subsidence in coastal areas, which would later result in severe flooding in low-lying communities, Balajadia explained.
San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza told Rappler on Friday, February 14, that they would “keep their eyes and ears open” for the environmental threats posed by coastal and offshore mining in Negros and Panay.
He warned that black sand and palladium mining represent an “alarming development” driven by financial interests at the expense of fragile coastal ecosystems.
“NAMA will definitely act as a watchdog against these pending coastal and offshore mining explorations,” Alminaza said.
He said the Integral Ecology Ministry of the Diocese of San Carlos, led by Father Juluis Tormis, is now taking the lead in this advocacy.
Alminaza, a known environmental advocate in Negros Island, was instrumental in the withdrawal of both the proposed 300-megawatt (MW) coal-fired power plant and the 300-MW liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in San Carlos, Negros Occidental, by the Ramon Ang-led San Miguel Global Power (SMGP) two years ago.
The bishop said there should be no shortcuts in approving black sand and palladium mining applications.
“What we want for MGB is simply to be transparent and, most of all, to consult the people of Negros and Panay first,” he said.
NAMA, a part of the national coalition Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM), said it would intensify the campaign to oppose black sand and palladium mining.
“Definitely, we will not allow Negrenses and Ilonggos, especially those in the fishing communities, to suffer from a double whammy caused by black sand and palladium mining, compounded by the controversial Supreme Court ruling allowing commercial fishing within the 15-kilometer municipal water zone,” Balajadia said.
Black sand and palladium mining, he warned, will cause severe environmental degradation, increasing the risk of natural disasters. – Rappler.com