ILOILO CITY – Sen. Loren Legarda has joined the public opposition against the proposal of an attached agency of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to designate four upland towns of Antique province as mining reservations.
“I firmly oppose potential mining activities in Antique,” Legarda said in a Feb. 7 statement.
The DENR Mines and Geosciences Bureau-6 proposed to designate the towns of Patnongon, San Remigio, Valderrama, and Sibalom as mineral reservations.
In its proposal, MGB-6 noted that mountain areas in these towns have deposits of gold, silver, copper, and chromite.
“(But) Antique’s true wealth lies in its people, culture, and environment. Mining activities will disrupt livelihoods, destroy natural habitats, and risk the cultural legacy that Antiqueños have preserved for generations,” Legarda said.
“Our economy thrives on agriculture, fisheries, and eco-tourism – industries that are sustainable and rooted in our culture and identity as Antiqueños,” added Legarda who served as congresswoman of the province’s lone district.
Antique is the home province of the country’s largest national mining reserve in Semirara Island in the northwestern town of Caluya.
“Mining does not represent progress. It represents a short-sighted gamble that sacrifices the future of our communities for temporary gains,” Legarda said.
However, people in Antique doubted her statements as some viewed them as a reactionary move when many residents have opposed mining prior to her statement.
Legarda and her brother, Antique Rep. AA Legarda, are facing criticisms for creating their own political dynasty in a province where they never grew up and do not really live. Her maternal grandparents hail from Pandan town.