Surigao folk mark town fiesta with petition vs mining firms' entry

Residents of Cantilan town in Surigao del Sur province have signed a petition against the entry of mining companies in the area. In signing the petition, the residents vowed to protect Cantilan’s critical watershed area from potential destruction by mining. “We will not allow our natural resources to be destroyed, especially if the transaction is clearly riddled with irregularities," Cantilan mayor Genito Guardo said in an article on the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) news site. At least one mining firm, Marcventures Mining Development Corp. (MMDC), has applied for a mining permit in the area. The local government refused to grant the permit, citing irregularities in the documents the firm submitted. Guardo cited discrepancies on the dates of the mining contract and the incorporation of the company, “leading us to suspect that there was not enough diligence and lack of transparency in the application." The signature campaign, along with the launching of Panalipdan Tubig Kinabuhi (Drive for Citizens’ Action to Stop Mining Operations within the Critical Watershed), marked the town's week-long fiesta celebration. The petition against mining aims to protect the Cantilan watershed area declared by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo under Presidential Proclamation 174 7, which covers 43,601 hectares of Cantilan and Madrid towns in Surigao del Sur, and three other towns in Agusan del Norte. Located in the area are the Alimio and Panikian Rivers and the Sipangpang Falls. “We shall continue to be proud of our heritage and rich endowments, and we see these thousands of signatures against MMDC as our clear message to oppose mining," said Tinty Iriberri, Baywatch vice-president and chairman of the Town Fiesta celebrations. - KBK, GMANews.TV