DAVAO CITY A priest of South Cotabato’s Diocese Marbel has urged his parishioners in Davao City to carefully review candidates for local posts in the province. The future of the environment was at stake.
While the Roman Catholic Church maintained an impartial stance ahead the forthcoming elections, Social Action Center Director Fr. Jerome Millan urged the people of the province to vote according their conscience, as the future of the Environment Code is in the hands of local government officials.
The campaign to oppose the proposed amendment to the local code to lift the ban against open-pit mining in the province is being led by the Diocese of Marbel, along with other sectoral groups.
The amendment to the Environment Code is highly dependent on the decisions made by Sangguniang Panlalawigan, as they are elected officials representing the interests the people, Millan wrote in an email sent to the Manila Bulletin.
To ensure the integrity and security of our Environment Code, we must carefully and wisely select our candidates for the upcoming election.
Two public hearings were held by the provincial legislators earlier this month to get feedback from constituents, before deciding on the proposed amendement.
In 2015, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan have unanimously affirmed the ban on open-pit mining method in the province.
Six years later, however some representatives of South Cotabato’s indigenous peoples (Ips), have petitioned South Cotabato’s legislative body to review the code in order to lift the ban.
Protect our home
But Diocese of Marbel Bishop Cerilo Casicas urged the legislative council to conduct more studies, risk assessments, as well as public hearings.
Casicas reiterated before the SP members that the 93,453 signatures submitted to the body were not just for their information, but the clear stance of the people against the proposed amendment of the Environment Code to lift the open-pit mining method in the province.
During the public hearing on February 24, former board member Elmo Tolosa explained that the reasons behind the enactment of the landmark environmental ordinance in 2010 included the major issues of water and the watersheds that support the province’s population, agriculture, industries, tourism, and domestic uses.
He stressed that open-pit mining does not solve the economic problems of the national government. It can only be done by sacrificing the environment for the future generations.
“Charity begins at home and for all of us, South Cotabato is our home. The former board member suggested that we should prioritize our home and protect it more than the national government.
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