DAVAO CITY – The provincial government of Davao Oriental is mulling to pass a measure to stop ongoing nickel mining operations on the slopes of the Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary in Barangay Macambol in the City of Mati.

Gov. Nelson Dayanghirang issued a statement on Tuesday, Oct. 7, amid the 200-hectare clearing that the provincial government recently documented near the designated buffer zone.

Dayanghirang emphasized the need to protect the environment, especially that the mined out area is located near the designated buffer zone.

The buffer zone serves as a last line of defense of the Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary, a United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site.

According to the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, the buffer zones are “designated areas around mining tenements or bodies of water where extraction and certain facility construction are restricted to minimize environmental impact.”

Dayanghirang’s move came after a multisectoral dialogue among stakeholders on the mining concerns specifically in the ongoing nickel mining operations in Barangay Macambol.

Also present were Vice Gov. Glenda Rabat-Gayta, Mati Mayor Joel Mayo Almario, Gov. Generoso Mayor Juanito Inojales, Vice Mayor Sherlyn Marcojos-Casama of San Isidro, 26 barangay chairmen, and church representatives.

Dayanghirang also said that mining operations could affect the proposed Macalula Road Network Loop Project set to link the coastal barangays of Macambol, Cabuaya, Luban, and Lanca, all under the City of Mati.

“We will run out of money but we cannot replace our planet," Dayanghirang said in a statement posted on the Facebook page of the provincial government.

The governor appealed to his constituents to cooperate and support the measure to stop environmental destruction and improve road network to boost local tourism

With an area of 26,652 hectares, Mount Hamiguitan Wildlife Sanctuary Range straddles the towns of Gov. Generoso and San Isidro and Mati City. About 7,000 hectares of the total area has been declared a protected area under the Republic Act 9303 in 2004.

Environmentalists have repeatedly expressed concern on the ongoing mining operations as it sits on the periphery of the protected area of the mountain range.

Mount Hamiguitan Wildlife Sanctuary Range is a known home to the critically endangered Philippine Eagle as well as many other endemic flora and fauna species.

Both Austral-Asia Link Mining Corp. (AALMC) and Hallmark Mining Corp. hold Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) permit under the management of Asiaticus Management Corp. (AMCOR). Each MPSA covers 5,000 hectares of mine site.

These mining tenements straddle across Gov. Generoso, San Isidro, and here.

Aside from the Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary, Pujada Nickel Project is also adjacent to the Pujada Bay, a protected seascape that is home to different marine species.

Hallmark Mining Corp. assured that they are committed to responsible mining.

The mining firm said that it “understands and shares the deep concern of the provincial government of Davao Oriental for the protection of our environment, especially the Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary, a symbol of life and pride for all Oriental Dabawenyos.”

“We want to assure everyone that we remain firmly committed to responsible mining. Through our Environmental Protection and Enhancement Program (EPEP), we have put in place strong safeguards such as siltation ponds, collector sumps, and active monitoring by the Multi-Partite Monitoring Team, as well as nature-based solutions to nurture biodiversity and prevent harm to the surrounding ecosystems,” Hallmark Mining Corp. said.