MACARTHUR, Leyte – The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) is working to find mutually acceptable ways to remove the massive cutter suction dredger deployed by a mining firm to extract minerals in this town.

MGB Eastern Visayas Regional Director Glenn Marcelo Noble said the agency has been meeting with Strong Built Mining Development Corp. (SBMDC) and affected residents to determine the best method for pulling out the dredger.

“We want the dredger to be pulled out from the roadside through means acceptable to both parties,” Noble said.

During a dialogue held Wednesday, SBMDC presented several proposals for removing the dredger, which is roughly the size of a six-story building, measuring about 30 meters wide and 150 meters long.

Bernard Baluda, SBMDC assistant vice president for compliance, said the options include rotating the dredger toward the shore or allowing it to cross the highway to create more maneuvering space.

However, affected farmers are calling for the dredger to be moved backward or dismantled into scrap to prevent further damage to their farms.

“It’s not like a car that can simply be reversed. We also cannot just scrap the dredger since it is very expensive. We are studying all options for its pullout,” Baluda said during the dialogue in MacArthur town.

Affected farmers who attended the dialogue will vote on which pullout option they would choose. The voting will be subject to validation, according to MGB.

SBMDC also presented a plan to deploy smaller dredgers to minimize disruption.

The giant dredger arrived in Leyte in early January and moved inland in MacArthur town for several weeks before it was stopped in mid-February from crossing the national highway due to strong opposition from farmers affected by black sand mining.

Rafael Pajares, counsel for the affected farmers, disputed the company’s claims, saying that if SBMDC can move the machine inland, it should also be capable of moving it backward.

“We want the immediate pullout of the dredger and a halt to mining operations, as these have already affected the residents’ livelihoods. Many farmers have not allowed the company to extract minerals from their land, yet they are still impacted by the mining activities,” Pajares said.

Jesus Cabias Jr., spokesperson for the protesting farmers, said mining activities have turned 13.79 hectares of rice fields into a lake, with impacts extending to 43 hectares of farmland in MacArthur.

The project has been temporarily suspended pending approval of its three-year development program.

“There may be no ongoing mining operations now, but 13.79 hectares of prime irrigated rice land have already been destroyed, and another 43 hectares out of a total of 56.79 hectares have been damaged. Food security is a matter of national security,” Cabias said.

SBMDC was granted a Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) on July 28, 2007, covering 7,411.55 hectares across the towns of Abuyog, Javier, MacArthur, Dulag, and Mayorga.

At present, the company is authorized to operate in only 2,268 hectares in MacArthur town based on existing permits. (PNA)