MINING workers from Sta. Cruz, Zambales, together with rice farmers and fishermen, on Wednesday stormed the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Quezon City to express support for the lifting of a suspension order on the mining activities in the province.
The Mine Workers, Families and Community, led by Danilo Calimlim, an accountant of Benguet Corp. Nickel Mines Inc. and Orlan Mayor of Eramen Minerals Inc., along with other miners and residents, met with Environmental Management Bureau assistant director Eva Ocfemia at DENR central office.
In an interview, Calimlim denied mining employees are underpaid and overworked, and that mining operations in Sta. Cruz have caused severe environmental degradation “as shown by the anti-mining advocates through old photographs and rehashed stories.”
“We are here to tell the truth. Not only fishermen, but also farmers and fishers benefit from the scholarship grants of Benguet Corp. and the other three mining companies,” he told The Standard.
On July 14, 2014, DENR issued a suspension order to stop the extraction of nickel ore in Sta. Cruz municipality by Zambales Diversified Metals Corp., Benguet Corp., ERAMEN Minerals Inc. and LNL Archipelago Minerals Inc. after a team of different government agencies had interviewed residents about their complaints of nickel siltation in river, farmlands, fishponds and the sea.
At least 3,000 mining workers lost their jobs.
Even scholars and residents were deprived of the opportunity to attain a college degree, medical and dental outreach programs and other projects, Calimlim said.
In February this year, DENR lifted the suspension order.
“The order expires today,” Calimlim said.
Ocfemia ordered the submission of a monitoring report by Friday next week to assess the impact of the mining operations in the town.
Samuel Marty, a 51-year-old rice farmer, said the four mining firms have been extending their assistance to the entire community as part of their corporate social responsibility.
Without mining, Calimlim said the 3,000 miners and their families would be badly affected.
He appealed to EMB and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau to allow their “responsible” mining operations.