A signature campaign against mining operations in Eastern Samar province in progress on Jan. 20. (Photo: Alren Beronio)
The Church in the Philippines held a prayer assembly to highlight the adverse impacts of mining on a historic, mineral-rich island.
The “Jericho prayer assembly” was organized by Borongan diocese in Eastern Samar province in the Visayas region, along with Calbayog and Catarman dioceses, against ongoing mining operations on Homonhon island on Jan. 20.
“A healthy environment is of a higher value than any amount of money,” Bishop Crispin Varquez of Borongan said in his homily during the Mass at Immaculate Concepcion Church in Guiuan town. His diocese has jurisdiction over Homonhon island.
More than 1,500 people joined the prayer assembly which was held across the province.
Bishop Varquez reiterated his strong opposition to mining in Homonhon and Manicani in Eastern Samar province.
The ongoing mining activities in Homonhon have been a bone of contention between environmental groups and mining firms.
Facing the Pacific Ocean, the 20-kilometer-long island is home to more than 4,413 residents.
It is known for the landing of Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan, who circumnavigated the world under the Spanish flag, in March 1521, and eventually led to the Christianization of the Southeast Asian nation.
Two firms are mining chromite in Homonhon under a 25-year pact approved in 2009. Apart from chromite, the island is also rich in nickel.
In 2023, the firms reportedly shipped 8.22 million metric tons of nickel ore and 25,000 metric tons of chromite to China alone.
The Philippines is richly endowed with mineral resources. The Catholic-majority nation is estimated to have about $1 trillion worth of untapped copper, gold, nickel, zinc, and silver reserves. Only 5 percent of these reserves have been explored.
Under the government of Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the mining industry in the country is rebounding as his government has removed restrictive mining policies, including a ban on open-pit mining.
There are two nickel ore processing units in the Philippines currently, both partly owned by the country’s top nickel ore producer and exporter Nickel Asia Corp.
On Jan. 9, the national government said it earned 182.6 million pesos (US$32,48,936) in excise tax in 2023 from the mining operations of two firms in Homonhon island.
The Church has been objecting to mining on the island due to its adverse impacts. However, its demand has fallen on deaf ears of the government.
In a statement on Jan. 20, papal charity Caritas Philippines condemned the mining “practices that prioritize profit over the well-being of individuals and the ecosystem."
"We raise our voices in prayer, imploring the government to listen to the cries for climate justice,” said Bishop Gerardo Alminaza, vice-president of Caritas Philippines.
Father Antonio Labiao Jr., executive director of Caritas Philippines, noted that Homonhon island’s fragile ecosystem “cannot withstand the onslaught of unsustainable mining practices.”
"We implore the world to stand with us in demanding an end to mining in our archipelago," the priest said.
In a separate statement, the advocacy group Philippine Misereor Partnership Inc. (PMPI) decried the “biodiversity loss and the climate crisis ” caused by mining.
Aivan Herzano, project officer of PMPI, stressed the “importance of action to protect the environment” in a statement.
Jose Bayani Baylon, vice-president of Nickel Asia Corp, said that people are opposing mining despite the income earned by the national government and the local administration.
“There are people who are already set with their opinions and it cannot be changed no matter what you say," he told UCA News.
