The Department of Environment and Natural Resources on Friday ordered the suspension of two dolomite firms in Alcoy, Cebu pending the results of the investigation on the alleged coral reef damage, water quality monitoring and ambient air quality.
After yesterday’s inspection, Secretary Roy Cimatu suspended the Dolomite Mining Corp. for its quarry operations and Philippine Mining Service Corp., a processing plant for dolomite.
He directed the DENR-Environmental Management Bureau in Region 7 to conduct a water quality sampling on waters below the conveyor at the ship loading facility, and ambient air quality.
He tasked Cebu’s provincial environment and natural resources office to conduct a coral assessment to determine the health condition of the corals.
The Cebu provincial government raised its complaint that the extraction of dolomite rocks in Alcoy caused damage to the marine ecosystem in the area.
The DENR chief also instructed the Mines and Geo-Sciences Bureau in Region 7 to convene the Provincial Mining Regulatory Board of Cebu to discuss mining if there was no ongoing mineral processing and ship loading operations during the inspection and if DMC, the only large-scale producer of dolomite materials, is a holder of a 25-year mineral production sharing agreement denominated as MPSA No. 208-2005VII covering 524.6103 hectares of dolomite property located within the municipalities of Alcoy and Dalaguete and to expire in 2030.
Cimatu also ordered a verification if PMSC, a holder of a mineral processing permit denominated as MPP-007-2005VII to expire in 2023, is undertaking the crushing and screening of the raw materials.