by Bernadine A. Gabawan
Bayog, Zamboanga del Sur, April 16 (PIA) – The Office of the Municipal Mayor of Bayog, this province, is appealing to the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) Regional Office IX, to urgently act on the resolution of the conflict between the TVI Resource Development (Phil.) Inc., (TVIRD) and the Monte de Oro-Small-Scale Mining Association (MOSSMA) at Sitio Balabag, Barangay Depore, this municipality.
It can be recalled that the Zamboanga del Sur Provincial Board passed Resolution No. 2K12-646 calling upon MGB-IX Regional Director Albert Johann Jacildo and concurrent chairman of the Provincial Mining Regulatory Board (PMRB) to stop all illegal mining activities in the area.
Similar resolution penned by the Zamboanga del Sur Inter-Agency Task Group on Mining Environment and Public Order and Safety (ZDS-IATGMEPOS) expressed concerns about unregulated activities which would pose great threat to the safety and protection of the environment, proliferation of illegal firearms and explosives, child labor, illegal drugs, prostitution, deterioration of peace and order, which causes death and other forms of criminalities at Sitio Balabag and some areas of this municipality.
Alarmed by a tremendous increase of lawlessness in the area heightened by the presence of illegal small scale mining activities, Governor Antonio Cerilles organized the ZDS-IATGMEPOS, an inter-agency task force composed of MGB-IX, Environment Management Bureau (EMB) Region-IX, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO-DENR), Armed Forces of the Philippines through the First Infantry “Tabak” Division, Philippine Army, Office of the Regional Executive Director of the DENR-IX, representatives from the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Zamboanga del Sur, and the Provincial Government of ZDS with him as Chairman.
Series of inspections and verifications conducted by the task group revealed that several mining operations do not have the necessary permits and contracts from the government. Thus, the need to stop all illegal mining operations, regulates the legitimate ones, and strengthens the enforcement of environmental laws.
Mayor Leonardo Babasa, Jr. believe that their municipality will be more productive if lawlessness will be eradicated or minimized, thus, it is our urgent request to the MGB Regional Office to look into this problems and expedite actions in order to resolve the conflict between TVIRD and MOSSMA as soon as possible. (BAG/PIO-Bayog/PIA9/CAL)
