To think that in 2013, typhoon Yolanda first landed in the country through Guiuian, Eastern Samar and left 100 casualties and large areas completely swept by the floods, now the operations of four mining companies in Homonhon is being justified as “responsible” and a big help to the economy in terms of jobs created and taxes paid.
But local residents and the church are quite uneasy thinking of a possible repeat of a Yolanda that would bring bigger damage to the province considering the mine tailings, silt ponds and the flattening of the mountains and hillsides, which are believed to be rich in chromite, nickel and other valued minerals.
The loudest objection is coming from an environmental NGO HEARD or the Homonhon Environmental Advocates and Rights Defender Inc., which says that “No amount would compensate for the destruction caused by the mining operations” on the historic island, where Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan landed in 1521.
Yet Eastern Samar Mayor Annaliza Gonzales-Kwan staunchly defends the mining operations for the economic benefits not just for the local government but also to its residents, of which 2,3000 from the mainland have been hired and are earning incomes for their families.
She claims that the mining companies— Cambayas Mining Corp, Techiron Resources Inc., Emir Mineral Resources Corp., and Mt. Sinai Mining Exploration & Development Corp.-- also became partners of the LGU in social development projects that benefit the villagers.
However, on July 3, 2023, the said mining companies owed the provincial treasury of Borongan P133 million in taxes (real property, apart from excise taxes they must pay the national government) thus they were sent demand letters.
The provincial government said some of the tax obligations on extracted minerals go back to 2012 (before Yolanda) computed based on the Ore Transport Permit (OTP) issued by the Mines and GeoSciences Bureau. The breakdown is as follows: Cambayas Mining Corp, P96.56 million for the period 2012 to 2016; Techiron Resources Inc., P22.56 million from 2017 up to 2021; Emir Mineral Resources Corp., P12.15 million for the years 2017 and 2022 and Mt. Sinai Mining Exploration & Development Corp., P2.58 million for 2013, Rappler reported.
Extracted minerals fall under real property taxes under the Local Government Code of 1991, the Manual on Real Property Appraisal and Assessment Operations, and Provincial Ordinance No. 09-09 series of 2009, the province said.
The tax-delinquent companies have been extracting chromite in Brgy. Casuguran, Homonhon.
Presco A. Evardone, executive assistant of Governor Ben Evardone said the figures do not include taxes on machinery and equipment used by mining companies, which are still under determination. He also pointed out that what the province is collecting is separate from the excise taxes that mining firms pay to the national government.
The province, he clarified, still needs to receive its share from the companies’ excise taxes.
The provincial government warned that failure to settle these outstanding tax amounts could lead to the seizure of the mining companies’ properties.
On August 9, Yolanda survivors, church workers and HEARD marched along the streets of Borongan, Eastern Samar to protest the ongoing mining operations in Homonhon and Manicani in Guiuian to protest the ecological and cultural threats posed by their operations.
Samar has four records of mines listed by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) which explains why mining operations are rampant in this area, because of abundant mineral deposits.
Homonhon Island stretches 20 kilometers and is abundant in nickel and chromite. The island has been subjected to open-pit mining since the 1990s. This continues to date despite opposition from many of the island’s 4,413 residents and the local diocese.
MGB Regional Director Glen Noble said the mining sector in the region contributed to the economy in the region, aside from providing employment opportunities for locals. He identified them as: Emir Mineral Resources Corp., Chromite King Inc., Nickelace Inc., and Mt. Sinai Mining Exploration and Development Corp.
These companies have a combined workforce of 1,549 who are mostly local residents.
Gonzales-Kwan said “poverty is the bigger problem,” which she is trying to address.
“There are eight barangays with more or less 4,000 people. Homonhon’s land area is around 10,000 hectares and only less than 10 percent is being mined,” she claimed.
“My job is to give jobs to my people and to live a better life,” she said.
Fr. Crispin B. Varquez’ sermon called on the DENR to “cancel all mining permits being used by companies to operate in our islands,” stressing that “all creations are meant to proclaim the glory of God if we take care and preserve our environment.
Varquez said he is very much disturbed by escalating mining in Homonhon as he called on government and concerned agencies to act on the matter.
EXTRACTION SITE | Mining operations are just at the doorstep of Homonhon National High School located in Barangay Casuguran on the island, which is under the jurisdiction of Guiuan town in Eastern Samar. This photo was taken on Oct. 25, 2023. (Photo from the Save Homonhon Movement)
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