Apostolic Vicariate of Puerto Princesa, Palawan Bishop Socrates Mesiona expressed his "guarded excitement" to the recent halt order placed on the controversial mining project in Brooke’s Point, Palawan.
“We will continue to pray and ensure our voices are heard, and I hope we can advance our advocacy efforts,” Mesiona said in a statement from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Aug. 28.
While suspending mining operations is a positive development, Bishop Mesiona acknowledged that it could be "reversed at any time."
On Aug. 11, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) issued a cease-and-desist order (CDO) against a mining firm in Palawan for violating Indigenous Peoples' (IP) rights.
It has been issued against the Ipilan Nickel Corporation (INC) for operating at its nickel site in Palawan without the Certificate of Precondition (CP) and Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC).
READ: https://mb.com.ph/2023/8/14/ncip-seeks-stoppage-of-mining-firm-s-operations-in-palawan-1
It said that the company was given five days after the receipt of the CDO order “to wind up operation, install safety protocols so as not to endanger the community and completely cease operation.”
Meanwhile, NCIP said the order would only be lifted upon the company’s compliance with the necessary permits.
The bishop then pointed out that “anything can happen after that because it seems that they only have certain requirements they need to fulfill.”
The Supreme Court (SC), however, ordered the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and its Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) on Aug. 16, to explain why the operations of the two mining firms in Brooke’s Point in Palawan will not pose serious and irreversible harm on the environment and the residents.
The SC also required the two mining firms to explain within ten days after receiving a Writ of Kalikasan from the court.
Furthermore, the bishop, alongside the vicariate's clergy, has consistently opposed mining operations in Brooke's Point, saying these operations are a “rape of nature.”