825 am - 834 am 

Courtesy of TeleRadyo Serbisyo

Catholic bishops have issued a pastoral letter seeking a moratorium on approval of new mining operations and extension of mining operations in Palawan, considered the country’s last ecological frontier in the Philippines.

In the letter, Bishop Broderick Pabillo of the Apostolic Vicariate of Taytay, Palawan said the province has received 67 exploration permit applications to mine some 200,000 hectares of mountainous areas in Coron, Taytay, Araceli, Dumaran, Roxas, Puerto Princesa, Aborlan, Narra, Sofronio Espanola, Brookes Point, Quezon, Rizal, Bataraza and Balabac.

These are on top of the 11 active mines in Palawan covering 29,430 hectares.

“Kung may mining applications, ibig sabihin may balak silang minahin ang mga ito. Kawawa naman ang Palawan! Kung masira ang ating kapaligiran, kakalimutan na tayo ng mundo. Kilala tayo ngayon sa buong mundo dahil sa ating mga mayabong na gubat, sa ating mga malinis na mga dalampasigan, dahil sa ating mga buhay na mga bahura, at sa malawak na mga bakawan natin kung saan namumugad ang ating mga isda,” the letter read.

Pabillo said the environment department had already granted one mining company a special tree-cutting permit to cut down 27,929 trees in Palawan. The same company is now asking for another permit to cut down another 8,000 trees.

This year, the DENR also issued an STCP to another mining company to cut down 52,200 trees.

“Kailangan nilang putulin ang mga puno para makapagmining…Hindi lang makakalbo ang bundok pero masisira ang lupa. Masisira ang mga dagat…Mauubos ang Palawan,” Pabillo said in a TeleRadyo Serbisyo interview.