DENR halts action on quarrying firm’s Biak-na-Bato permit

Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Angelo Reyes has ordered the Central Luzon office of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) not to act on the pending application of Rosemoor Mining and Development Corp. for a new ore transport permit (OTP).

Reyes said the status quo order is in line with the review of the mineral production sharing agreement (MPSA) of Rosemoor, whose marble quarrying in the historical Biak-na-Bato National Park in Bulacan is being opposed.

The Bulacan provincial government and local environmental groups have filed a petition seeking the recall of Rosemoor’s MPSA, which they alleged was anomalously obtained by the company.

"There is a status quo in the issuance of OTP for (Rosemoor) pending the results of the investigation being conducted by the committee I have created that includes representatives of the (provincial) government of Bulacan, environmental groups, and (Rosemoor itself)," Reyes said.

The panel, chaired by MGB executive director Jeremias Dolino, conducted its first hearing two weeks ago. It is expected to come up with its recommendations in the coming days.

Reyes would consequently act on the committee’s recommendations and decide on the fate of Rosemoor’s operation in a 330-hectare portion of the mineral reservation area of Biak-na-Bato.

"The decision (on whether to grant Rosemoor a new OTP or not) would have to come from me," he said. "As of now, no OTP shall be issued (to Rosemoor)."

Reyes said his department would be coming out soon with its formal position on the issue.

However, he hinted that they would consider the economic importance of the marble quarrying, pointing out any mining operation should involve the processing of minerals, not just extraction, to generate more revenues.

Mining operations in the country today, according to Reyes, merely involve the extraction of minerals, which are subsequently exported in their raw or unprocessed state.

Rosemoor quarries pink marble with white strands in Biak-na-Bato, and exports it unprocessed.

The Biak-na-Bato mineral reservation area is one of only two sources of pink marble with white strands in the world.

The Biak-na-Bato National Park is considered a heritage site because its caves served as refuge to the Katipuneros during the Spanish war.

In 1937, then President Manuel L. Quezon, recognizing the mountain’s historical significance, proclaimed the 2,117-hectare Biak-na-Bato a national park.

However, in 1982, former President Ferdinand Marcos excluded 330 hectares from Quezon’s proclamation and awarded them to Rosemoor owner Dr. Lourdes Pascual, whom Marcos had asked to conduct some exploration in the area.

Pascual fought a 20-year legal battle, starting in 1986, for the right to mine the area for 25 years. In 2001, the Court of Appeals decided in Rosemoor’s favor, a decision upheld by the Supreme Court on March 30, 2004.

It was during the time of DENR Secretary Heherson Alvarez when Rosemoor got its MPSA.