KORONADAL CITY鈥擫ocal officials and leaders of indigenous peoples (IPs) in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato, have asked South Cotabato Gov. Daisy Avance Fuentes to reconsider the decision of the provincial board rejecting the Department of Energy鈥檚 (DOE) coal mining project in the province.
Lake Sebu Mayor Antonio Fungan, in a letter to Fuentes, said the project was important for his town because it would bring jobs and livelihood to his people.
Tribal chieftain Art Labi sent a separate appeal to Fuentes, saying the board decision would deprive the IPs of income.
鈥楲补蝉迟-尘颈苍耻迟别鈥�
Voting 6-4, the provincial board on June 25 rejected a resolution endorsing the project of Daguma Agro Minerals Inc. (Dami) to extract coal deposits in the village of Ned.
Dami, in a statement, said the board鈥檚 鈥渦nscheduled, last-minute鈥� voting 鈥渄id not seem to take into account the social and economic significance of the project鈥� for IPs of Ned and Lake Sebu.
鈥淭he IPs were very excited to be employed only to be told the provincial board did not allow it for no valid reason,鈥� Fungan told a local radio station here.
鈥淭hey have no permanent livelihood,鈥� Fungan added. 鈥淭hey pinned their hopes on the mining project,鈥� he added.
Local sources
The project is part of the DOE program to develop and utilize local sources of energy to counter high power costs due to fluctuations in world coal prices and supply.
Fungan described claims made by opponents of the project that IPs were opposed to coal mining as 鈥渂aseless.鈥�
Fungan said Dami already had Free Prior and Informed Consent of the T鈥橞oli tribe from the communities of Kibang, El Dulog, Pulusubong and Abboy.
Labi, the tribal chief, said his group had already entered into an agreement with Dami as early as Oct. 13, 2011.
Protected areas
Fungan said only Mt. Matutum and Sarangani Bay were considered protected areas.
Dami said the ban did not apply to its project because it was not open pit mining.
鈥淩ather, it is a different, more environmentally sustainable method called contour, or strip mining,鈥� Dami said.
Fungan said Dami had already built classrooms, courts, day care centers, birthing facility, water supply system and farm-to-market roads in the village of Ned.