The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) suspended another mining operation making it the 7th one to date.
Four of them are in Zambales, 2 in Palawan and the latest is the Ore Asia which is in Doña Remedios, Trinidad.
These operations did not comply with the standards of responsible mining.
the DENR said, these mining companies should replace the thousands of trees they have cut down and clean the rivers and areas that were polluted by their operations.
Presently, the DENR is auditing 40 mining operations.
“If you fly over that, the river is literally red. They cut 20 thousand trees from the water shed,” DENR Secretary Gina Lopez said.
The DENR is also investigating the expose done by Zambales Governor Amor Deloso on the alleged selling of Philippine soil to China which was brought as landfill to Scarborough shoal.
The Scarborough shoal has only a distance of 124 nautical miles from Zambales.
It is one of the places claimed by China in the West Philippine Sea as part of their nine-dash-line rule but it is still included in the Philippine’s exclusive economic zone.
Secretary Gina Lopez said, activities in mining sites will be closely monitored by the deparment together with law enforecement agencies.
“It’s over! It’s over. They can no longer do that anymore. I will not allow that to happen. It’s illegal,” Lopez said.
A memorandum of agreement was signed by DENR, DILG, DND and DOTr in order to enforce the environmental laws in the country especially ones that pertain to illegal fishing and illegal logging.
“We will fight politicians that are involved in illegal logging, illegal mining and illegal fishing,” PNP Chief Ronald Dela Rosa promised.
(REY PELAYO/UNTV NEWS & RESCUE)
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