“I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and rich produce. But you came and defiled my land and made my inheritance detestable.” Jeremiah 2:7 (NIV)
We are one with the people of Sibuyan Island, and the whole Province of Romblon, including the ecumenical community, in their stand to protect the natural resources from the destruction brought about by the Altai Philippines Mining Corporation along with its violations and illegal operations. Large-scale mining is destructive to the whole environment as it does not only affect the soil and landforms, it also threatens the life of water bodies surrounding it due to the siltation caused by the mining operations.
The National Council of Churches in the Philippines, along with its member churches spread around the archipelago, believes that the action of the locals together with government officials are commendable. They truly stood for what is right and stood for the people and God’s creation.
In the creation account in Genesis, God has commanded humanity not to dominate over the earth but to care for all creatures. Our faith calls us to be good stewards of God’s creation and part of this call is to stand against any form of destruction of the environment.
The risks and destruction caused by mining cannot be at par with the said to be benefits that the multinational companies and the investors are narrating in their press releases. They are but false promises. Mining will increase the vulnerability on the people in the surrounding communities especially during typhoons. The destruction of landforms, the denuding of forest covers, and the siltation affecting the marine ecosystem are but a few of the bad effects on the environment and will surely impact negatively on the people.
The question of environmental activist and martyr from the Cordilleras, Macliing Dulag, “How can you own that which outlives you?” helps us rethink why we humans act as if we own the earth and decide for our fate to exercise our greediness. This question should continue to linger in our minds and should awaken us from our consciousness that the earth does not only belong to us but we owe it to the coming generations.
As a council of churches, we hereby commend the people for temporarily halting the mining operations of Altai Philippines Mining Corporation in Sibuyan. But the struggle must continue. We call on the people including the faith community, to continue to be vigilant and commit to actions that would protect God’s creation. We call on our lawmakers to repeal the Mining Act of 1995 and protect the rights of the people for a safe and healthy environment.
Signed:
11 February 2023
REV. FELIPE B. EHICAN, JR.
Chairperson
RT. REV. JOEL O. PORLARES
Vice Chairperson
DR. GAY B. MANODON
Vice Chairperson
MA. KAY CATHRINE F. ALMARIO
Vice Chairperson
MAJOR ALLAIN M. NIETES
Corpoerate Treasurer
MS. MINNIE ANNE M. CALUB
Acting General Secretary
