3 MIN READBy PAOLA C. ESPIRITU and CITA MANAGUELOD
www.nordis.net
VIGAN CITY — Ilocos environmental groups and advocates, in celebration of Earth Day, left their shoe prints on the shoreline of Sta. Catalina, Ilocos Sur as they jog early morning of April 22.
WARMING UP. Participants of the Footprints in the Sand advocacy run start with brisk walking to warm up their bodies.Story on page 8. Photo courtesy of Paola Espiritu
The participants from Taekwando Class, ISAVE, Children’s Rehabilitation Center, College Editors Guild of the Philippines, Kabataan Partylist and Ilocos Human Rights Alliance jogged 2.4 km starting from the municipal plaza until the shoreline of Sta. Catalina.
The advocacy fun run lead by the Defend Ilocos Against Mining and Plunder, a regional network of environmental advocates, is part of its awareness campaign on the effects of the large and destructive mining in the region.
“It is a kick off to the regional call for different organizations, institutions and individuals to protect our shoreline and campaign the prosecution of the mining companies and their partners who perpetuated destructive mining along the coast of Ilocos,” Sherwin De Vera of Defend Ilocos Against Mining and Plunder explained.
Further, it serves as a preliminary invitation for the region-wide synchronized fun run to celebrate World Fisheries Day on November 21.
Save our shoreline
Sta. Catalina is one of the many municipalities that has been subjected to magnetite mining for the past years. It was reported that thousands of metric tons of black sand were extracted from the shores of Sta. Catalina alone. About 36,000 metric tons of magnetite concentrate were seized in Bgy. Namnama, San Vicente, another nearby municipality in Ilocos Sur, during a dismantling operation last year.
CAGAYAN CARAVAN. A call to conserve and protect their natural resources against massive mining on their shorelines leaving their farms, fishing grounds and homes vulnerable to typhoons and climate change. Photo courtesy of Amianan Salakniban
In 2013, the people’s resistance against black sand mining resulted to the dismantling of the mining equipment in the Sta. Catalina, Caoayan and San Vicente shoreline.
Earth Day Caravan
Meanwhile in Cagayan valley, people’s organizations celebrated Earth Day with a caravan of some 200 to 300 farmers, women, youth and human rights defenders who traveled from Tuguegarao to Amulung then to Alcala. They also went to Gattaran, Lallo, Dugo, and Buguey. The caravan ended in Aparri.
The caravan was stopped by the PNP at Buguey, explaining they had “orders from the top” to do so. This made the mobilization hold their program along the highway. The caravan was sponsored by Kaguimungan, Anakpawis-Cagayan, Kalikasan Youth, Amianan Salakniban, Kabataan Partylist-Cagayan, and SAVE-Cagayan Valley (Save the Valley, Serve the People).
In his speech at the program, Amianan Salakniban spokesperson Isabelo Adviento said, “Ginunita ang Earth Day bilang pagkilala sa halaga ng mga baybay-dagat kasama ang mga likas-yaman nito na bumubuhay sa mamayan ng lambak at mga karatig na probinsya. Ngayon bungga ng tuloy-tuloy na pagmimina ng magnetite sa baybayin, naiwang nakatiwangwang ang mga komunidad sa tabing dagat sa hagupit ng malalakas na alon at bagyo. Lumayo ang lugar ng pangisdaan. Kaya`t ang mga pobreng walang malalaking Bangka ay nawalan ng hanap-buhay. Maging ang mga korales na itlugan ng mga isda ay nanganganib ng tuluyang pagkasira dulot ng pagmimina ng magnetite sa gitna ng dagat o “off-shore mining.”
Adding that, “Bagamat may takot sa ilang mga komunidad dahil sa patuloy na harassment at pagpatay sa mga lider na tumututol sa minas, muling nabuhay ang pakikiisa para sa tuluyang pagpapatigil ng pagmimina ng mga dayuhang namumuhunan at kanilang kasapakay na mga local at pambansang pulitiko. Patuloy na lumalakas ang pagkakaisa ng mga mamamayan. # nordis.net
