‘Cancel ECC of Vizcaya mining venture’

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya — Catholic Church officials in Cagayan Valley asked President Arroyo to cancel the mining permit, which the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) granted to a multibillion-peso mining venture here.

During a closed-door meeting here last Thursday, the Church officials led by Bayombong Bishop Ramon Villena urged Mrs. Arroyo to scrap the environmental compliance certificate (ECC) of the gold-copper project in the remote mountain village of Didipio, which lies at the boundary of Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya and Nagtipunan, Quirino.

The President was here last Thursday as "special guest" in Villena’s 67th birthday celebration.

Apparently taking advantage of her brief stay, Villena, along with Bishop Sergio Utleg of the Ilagan (Isabela) diocese and other Church officials, asked Mrs. Arroyo for an "exclusive" meeting with them.

Fr. Vicente Tiam, a diocesan staffer, said the issue of large-scale mining projects in the country, which the Catholic Church has been opposing, was raised during the meeting. 

Tiam, however, said the Didipio project was not singled out in the discussion.

Aside from mining, Utleg also complained about the reported illegal logging in his diocese. 

Tiam said the "on-and-off" operations of jueteng in the region were also brought to Mrs. Arroyo’s attention.

An insider said Villena was insistent that the President intercede for the cancellation of the ECC of the Didipio project.

Earlier, Villena, chairman of the Church-led Northern Luzon Social Action Commission, said he would personally bring the mining issue, particularly the Didipio project, to the President’s attention.

Mrs. Arroyo reportedly did not make any commitment to the Church officials, but said that she would asked Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Angelo Reyes to visit Didipio to see for himself the mining project there for a possible review of its operation.

Tiam confirmed the President’s assurance on Reyes’ visit to the controversial project in mineral-rich Didipio, some 50 kilometers away from this capital town.

The government and the project’s proponent, Climax-Arimco Mining Corp. (CAMC), hope to start the venture in September this year after the DENR had granted the necessary permits, including the ECC, following the mining firm’s nearly 10 years of exploration in Didipio.

The government expects to generate at least P30 billion from the 15-year mining venture, aside from the local revenues and thousands of jobs it would generate.

Earlier this month, the Church and other anti-mining groups filed a petition for mandamus, asking the court to compel the DENR to cancel the project’s ECC.

The petitioners claimed that the CAMC failed to get the consent of Didipio residents for the project, a prerequisite before the ECC could be granted.

Despite his recent appointment by the President as chairman of the Regional Development Council, Villena said he remains firm on his stand against any form of large-scale mining in the region, especially within Nueva Vizcaya-Quirino diocese.

"I did not ask for my appointment, so I don’t feel indebted to the President," said Villena, whose RDC designation, which dislodged Batanes Gov. Vicente Gato from the post, surprised local officials, especially mining advocates.

Earlier, Sister Eden Orlino, chairman of the Diocesan Social Action Center, said the President assured them during a recent meeting in Manila that she would seek a review of more than 20 mining projects, including the Didipio venture.