Right after a challenging month of back-to-back typhoons that left livelihoods splintered, residents of Calayan, Cagayan now find themselves bracing for a different kind of storm-one stirred not by winds and waves but by possible extraction of minerals from the island.
One of the 29 towns of the province, Calayan is only accessible by air or sea, with its Municipal Information Office (MIO) saying that at present, Calayan is only using gravel and sand from the mainland for road and other infrastructure projects of the government.
This, as Mayor Jong Llopis prohibited ‘all mining and quarrying activities’ in Calayan, cancelling the permit for the ‘quarrying of pebbles’ at Sibang Cove, which is a pristine destination on the island that prides itself for its white sand beaches and clear blue waters.
But just recently, a threat emerged as the mining company, identified by the MIO as Ludgoron Mining Corporation, sent a letter to the chairman of Barangay Babuyan Claro regarding its Application for Exploration Permit before the Mines and Geosciences Bureau.
Fr. Ruben Irece, parish priest of the St. Bartholomew Parish, told INQUIRER.net that the company is seeking to determine the possible presence of iron ore and other mineral deposits on the island and if these are ‘viable’ for ‘commercial exploitation and extraction.’
As stated by the provincial government of Cagayan, large deposits of both metallic and non-metallic mineral resources such as gold, copper, iron, magnetite sand, manganese, perlite, limestone, sulphur, gypsum, black sand, pebbles, sand and gravel are in the province.
However, only a few of these mineral reserves are being mined, and are yet to be developed on commercial scales, it said, pointing out that to date, mining companies are active in Claveria, Peñablanca, Gonzaga, Sta. Teresita, and Lal-lo.
Based on the map released by the MIO, the area covered by the application encloses almost the entire island of Babuyan Claro, which is home to the Ibatans, an indigenous community that arrived from Camiguin and Calayan in 1869.
This was why residents of Babuyan Claro initiated a signature campaign opposing the application, with Llopis saying that ‘we stand firm in protecting our island and our livelihood [.] we will not allow any form of mining activity that will destroy our environment and our culture.’
Likewise, a resolution was passed by the Sangguniang Bayan to express its ‘vehement opposition’ to the ‘application for exploration permit [.] and to all forms of mining and quarrying activities’ in Calayan ‘in defense of its ecological integrity, cultural heritage and sustainable development.’
As Irece pointed out to INQUIRER.net, ‘I have never seen [mining] bring any long-term good,’ explaining that ‘the places that have been mined suffer more harm than benefit, so for me, there is no compromise-that is truly my stand.’
For Llopis, ‘we stand in solidarity with the residents of Barangay Babuyan Claro,’ asserting that ‘their island is their life and must not be treated as something to be exploited.’
The Order of Franciscans Minor, which oversees the local church in Calayan, as well as the Archdiocese of Tuguegarao, which covers the province of Cagayan, and the St. Joseph College of Baggao have released statements against the mining exploration, too.