Cabusao Mining Threatens San Miguel Bay Mangroves

CABUSAO, CAMARINES SUR (16 Aug) -MANGROVE TREES planted in some 162 hectares of the 180-hectare shoreline of this smallest coastal town along San Miguel Bay in this province, as well as the sprawling marshlands in Barangay Biong which serve as a sanctuary for migratory birds are now being threatened by a proposed mining exploitation for "iron sand" in the area.

Cabusao Mayor Nebb Paglinawan Santiago bared that his locality has only nine barangays, seven of which are coastal villages where nearly 3,000 families depend on fishing at San Miguel Bay as their main source of livelihood.

Santiago said that a recent notice reaching the local government stated that BO GO Resources Mining Corporation, a Korean-American mining firm, has included in its exploration permit the extraction of Magnetite sand and other related minerals at the coastal villages of Barcelonita, Biong, Pandan, and Castillo.

Santiago told VOX BIKOL that a petition opposing the BO GO mines exploration has drawn hundreds of signatures from fisherfolks, farmers and town officials, and has been sent to President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III.

Cabusao municipal agriculturist, Edna Balani, noted that the mining exploration covered the 162 hectares planted to mangroves situated in the four villages and which were planted in the span of two decades through the LGU's efforts.

The mangroves have served as buffer to typhoons and had neutralized salt intrusion in nearby agricultural areas, Balani said.

In Barangay Biong near Barcelonita, untouched marshlands have become yearly migration areas for more than 20 foreign bird species seeking sanctuary during winter in their foreign territories.

World Bank environment consultants visited Cabusao and have taken interest in the marshlands here, saying it was among the few birds sanctuaries in the world still untouched by man's urbanization.

Santiago said that World Bank has currently given a grant of some P5.5 million for the preservation of Cabusao's wetlands and for eco-tourism and conservation programs.

Meanwhile in Calabanga, Camarines Sur, Mayor Evelyn Yu said that the mangroves in local coastal villages that have reached over half a million trees were planted through the programs of ACCORD, CARE Phils., and a grant from the European Union to protect typhoon-prone areas in the country.

Yu added that SMART Philippines recently initiated the planting of 200,000 more mangroves under the program of the Corporate Network on Disaster Response (CNDR), an association of corporate firms in the country with environmental concern.

Calabanga's coastal villages of Punta Tarawal, Paolbo, Sabang, Sogod, Belen, Bonot, Sta. Rosa, Sibobo, Cagsao and Cabanbanan are part of the 6,089 hectares of coastal areas BO GO Mining Corp. intends to undertake its mining exploration for a period of two years.

The firm's application for an exploration permit with a registration no. EXPA-00015-V dated 20 Nov. 2009 is currently pending with the office of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau of the DENR regional office in Legazpi City, and is awaiting approval from MGB regional director Reynulfo A. Juan.

The Magnetite mining that will extract thousands of tonnage of sand to separate the Magnetite in the San Miguel Bay coast, has reached

The Provincial Board of Camarines Sur is currently conducting consultations with affected constituents and with BO GO representatives who are reportedly ambiguous about the mining's environmental impact on the Bay's ecology.