Mining in Palawan and its impacts to biodiversity and local communities

• The country has 3% old growth forest left, and much of this is in Palawan. We cannot let this go. Mining and logging go together because you cannot mine without cutting trees.
• Palawan has 17 Key Biodiversity Sites; 7 protected areas; 2 World Heritage sites. Yet most of mining applications in Palawan overlap key biodiverstiy sites. We need to remember that reforestation does not not restore lost biodiversity.
• There are many laws designed to protect Palawan, including its declaration as a UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve; Mangrove Reserve and Wildlife Reserve. Three-fourths of Palawan has been declared protected. The Palawan SEP law states that there should be no mining in natural forests. Mining in Palawan is a gross violation of these laws.
• The stand of miners that there can be mining in the southern part of Palawan while leaving the Northern Part for tourism is foolish to say the least. The southern part is equally rich in diversity. It is archaic thinking to believe that one can mine one part of the island without affecting the other.
• Palawan is very narrow, and the topography is steep. Any mining, being large or small scale, is a risk to the farmlands and fishing resources. Cutting down forests in the mountain causes erosion that kills coral reefs, and mine tailings spill into farmlands.
• Citinickel is currently mining in Narra - the rice granary of Palawan - severely affecting farmers and fishermen, including those from indigenous communities that depend on the forests in the area. This must be stopped immediately if the law stating a commitment to the welfare of communities is to be followed.
• Fifty percent 50% of the fish supply in Metro Manila comes from Palawan. But laterite tailings from open-pit mines spill into rivers and the ocean, where the chemicals are absorbed by fish. If ingested, laterite is toxic and can cause cancer.

• A large-scale mining company had an accident early this year, and their barge carrying tons of nickel and other minerals fell into the sea because of bad weather. Our country is number one in terms of typhoons, so incidents like these are likely to happen over and over.
• The Mining Industry is putting pressure on the government to make big decisions now that the irreversible far-reaching implications on our future. Even as the government, in Chapter 10 of the Philippine Development Plan 2011-2016, admits that it has not developed, nor is it applying, any standard for measuring environmental and social costs of mining. Would it not be more prudent to first put in place such standards and institutional capability and to call for objective studies like those sponsored by the World Bank, before making decisions?
• A total economic valuation (TEV) is even more critical in a fragile island ecosystem like Palawan with mountains, farmlands, mangroves, and coral reefs in and along a narrow sliver of land. Mining in any form, whether large-scale or small scale, puts at risk the delicate weave of this ecological system. In fact, an initial TEV study of the Mt. Matalingahan Range in Palawan indicates that the economic costs far outweigh the benefits of mining.
• The carbon credits of Palawan alone - Php 130 trillion in a future carbon market according to the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development - is more than double the value of the mineral lode of the entire country. Exploring the merits of the non-timber produce of Palawan's forest also offers very exciting possibilities. These potential revenue sources are demolished if mining is allowed in this island paradise.
• Past and present mining operations in Palawan have not yielded real economic benefit to Palawan. Bataraza, where Rio Tuba has been mining for 36 years, may be a first class municipality in terms of revenues but its poverty indicators are twice the national average - and it is ranked in the lowest 25% compared to other municipalities in the country. Clearly, the so-called social benefits from mining have not been felt by the majority of the communities.

• In Palawan, the PROVEN economic thrust is agriculture and eco-tourism, as demonstrated by the thriving economy of Puerto Princesa which earlier banned logging and mining, but its income from tourism in 2009 was Php 2.4 billion, and it exports 10,600 metric tons of fish annually.