The local government unit of Guiuan in Eastern Samar province asked the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) to conduct verification of the mining tenement boundary of Emir Mineral Resources in Casuguran village, Homonhon Island.

Guiuan Mayor Annaliza Gonzales Kwan said Monday that she sent a letter to MGB Eastern Visayas regional director Marcelo Noble after receiving numerous complaints of mining activities outside its boundary.

She said residents of Barangay Bitaugan complained that the mining firm performed its operation outside its boundary

The barangay is one of the three remaining villages in historic Homonhon Island that is not part of the mining operation.

“The residents of Bitaugan claim that Emir’s mining operation is encroaching on their village. Hence, the request is urgent to prevent any violent confrontation,” Kwan told the Philippine News Agency in a telephone interview.

“I do not want any mining operations in Bitaungan because I want to devote this area to agricultural and agro-industrial development,” she added.

The mayor had also sent a letter to Emir Mineral Resources Corporation, addressed to Jaime Paredes, informing the mining company official that she brought up the issue with MGB and asking that it ceases operation while verification is being conducted.

“While we are waiting for MGB’s verification, I enjoin your company not to operate in the contested area to avoid further conflict,” her letter to Emir read.

Last week, the local government sent a team to Homonhon Island to conduct a ground investigation and meet with mining companies and village officials.

On April 3, several residents of Bitaugan held a rally, protesting the alleged encroachment in their village that is not part of areas approved for mining operations.

The residents fear that once the mining operation reaches their place, it will terribly affect the environment that supplies them with their needed water and source of livelihood.

Bitaugan is a major producer of calamansi (local lemon) in Eastern Samar province and the main source of the community’s livelihood.

The fruits are processed into juice concentrate and jelly and sold at trade fairs, groceries, and even in malls in Tacloban City.

The residents also said that the encroachment may affect the area that is home to the critically endangered Philippine cockatoo.

On Nov. 19, 2019, the local government of Guiuan passed a resolution urging the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to designate the areas of Bitaugan, Habag and Inapulangan as critical habitats of the cockatoo.

Four mining companies are operating on the island — Emir Mineral Resources Corp., Chromite King Inc., Nickelace Inc., and Mt. Sinai Mining Exploration and Development Corp., whose operations are in Casuguran and Cagusuan.

MGB officials are not available for an interview as of press time and have not issued any recent statement about mining in Homonhon. (PNA)

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