By HENRY EMPEÑO |

SANTA CRUZ, Zambales — Residents affected by mining operations in Zambales challenged Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu on Monday to visit mining sites here and in other areas of the province to see for himself the damages wrought by mining.

This as they condemned the downgrading of an order by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) cancelling the permit of the Zambales Diversified Metals Corp. (ZDMC) to mere suspension following the latest review by the inter-agency Mining Industry Coordinating Council (MICC).

In a statement, the Concerned Citizens of Sta. Cruz, Zambales (CCOS) and the Zambales Lingap Kalikasan (Zalika) urged Cimatu to recall the suspension order against ZDMC and instead enforce the cancellation of its mineral production sharing agreement (MPSA) that was ordered by the agency last year.

“We call on the Secretary of the DENR to recall the decision (to just suspend ZDMC),” the groups said.

“We are also asking the Secretary to see for himself the mining-devastated areas and listen to the pleas of the people who have been suffering for more than10 years,” they added.

ZMDC, which is owned by DMCI Mining Corp., was among the nine companies that faced suspension by the DENR if they failed to come up with a mitigation plan within six months.

However, CCOS Chairman Benito Molino pointed out that the suspension was inappropriate because the MPSA of ZDMC was already cancelled after it was found out that it was mining in a watershed area and that its operation “has caused destruction of rivers and people’s livelihood.”

The DENR’s Mines and Geosciences Bureau in Region 3 (MGB-3) has suspended the operations of the four big mining firms in Zambales: ZDMC and Benguetcorp Nickel Mines, Inc. (BNMI) in July 2016 and LNL Archipelago Minerals, lnc. and Eramen Minerals, Inc. in 2014 because of various violations.

“These destructive effects remain and the people affected are still fighting for justice,” Molino added.

Photos taken by CCOS in May this year showed denuded mountains, silted rivers and waterways polluted by nickel laterite in Santa Cruz.

Molino recalled that Cimatu declared last month that he will not allow mining in watershed areas and that all waterways affected by mining had to be rehabilitated.

“It is so clear that the decision not to affirm the cancellation of ZDMC’s permit is highly inconsistent with Secretary Cimatu’s statement and not in accordance with the reasons of cancellation,” Molino observed.

He added that the recent MICC audit which resulted in the suspension of ZDMC was questionable because local stakeholders and communities were not consulted in selecting the panel of experts called for the review.

Molino, however, said that local environment advocates scored some victory on Monday when the Committee on Natural Resources and Environment of the Zambales provincial council agreed to make mining firms pay for damages caused by mining operations.

He said the committee urged affected residents to document damages caused by mining on their farms, fishponds, and other sources of income, and for victims of accidents in roads destroyed by mining operations to file complaints on or before December 10 this year.

The committee also heard concerns on the need to rehabilitate the mined out mountains and the Cabatuan watershed, as well as waterways, farms, fishponds and coral reefs destroyed by mining operations in Santa Cruz town.

The committee hearing was attended by about 130 residents affected by destructive mining operations, as well as representatives from MGB-3, Environment Management Bureau, and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.