3 towns on Sibuyan Island in Romblon reject mining

Officials in three towns of Sibuyan Island in Romblon province have signified their rejection of mining operations in their turf. Magdiwang, Cajidiocan and San Fernando towns officials signed Joint Resolutions 1 and 2, indicating the people’s opposition to mining in the island. In Resolution No. 1, the local officials asked President Benigno Aquino “to declare Sibuyan Island free of all metallic mining (all forms of mining except gravel and sand)," the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines news site reported Friday. Joint Resolution No. 2, addressed to Environment Secretary Ramon Paje, asked that all mining permits issued for the island be revoked. Sibuyan officials recently trooped to the Interior Department to insist that their autonomous decision to free the island from mining activities be respected. Environmentalists and anti-mining advocates hailed the resolutions to reject mining to protect and preserve the island’s rich ecosystem. Sibuyan island, dubbed as the Galapagos of Asia, is rich in natural resources and biodiversity, and is considered to have the densest forest in the world. The island is home to a rich biodiversity of flora and fauna. Mt. Guiting-guiting Natural Park is home to 123 species of trees, 54 of which are not found anywhere in the world, 700 vascular plant species, and 131 species of birds, and many mammals and rodents are yet to be classified, the CBCP said. — LBG, GMANews.TV