By Franklin Q. De Guzman, Ministry of Social Action Lingayen-Dagupan for VERA Files
DAGUPAN CITY—No more extraction of black sand on the shores of Lingayen Gulf.
Representatives of the Pangasinan provincial government reached this agreement on Wednesday with residents of four Lingayen barangays—Sabangan, Estanza, Capandanan and Malimpec—opposing the mining of black sand near the gulf.
In a dialogue initiated and presided over by Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas at the Archbishop's Palace here, Provincial Administrator Rafael Baraan said the extraction of magnetite, commonly called black sand, has been stopped and rehabilitation of the area has started.
Baraan had earlier said the magnetite or black sand appeared while the provincial government was doing site development of a proposed 18-hole golf course, one of the first identified projects in the development of a 300-hectare land into an eco-tourism zone. He had said the extraction "was just accidental and never intended."
During the one-and-a-half-hour dialogue on Wednesday, Vicente Oliquino, barangay kagawad of Sabangan, said black sand mining in the four barangays was stopped after a cease and desist order was issued against the activity.
But Oliquino, who led the 20-delegation that represented the complainants in the dialogue, said residents feared extraction might resume because the mining equipment has not been pulled out from the affected areas.
On the residents' petition, Baraan said the provincial government will remove the equipment to assure them that no extraction is ongoing or will happen in the future.
Despite the agreement, the complainants said they will remain vigilant. "Patuloy kaming magbabantay upang mapangalagaan ang ating kalikasan (We will remain on our guard to protect the environment)," Oliquino said.
The residents have yet to decide whether to still file legal damages against the government for extracting black sand in their barangays.
Archbishop Villegas advised the provincial government and Lingayen residents to always resort to "dialogue, openness and truth" to resolve any misunderstanding.
He said both parties share a common desire: "We want Lingayen to be better...We want the environment to be protected."
(VERA Files is put out by veteran journalists taking a deeper concern at current issues. Vera is Latin for "true.")
7 comments