Gov. Gwen Garcia has questioned how Apo Land and Quarry Corporation (ALQC) was able to secure Mineral Production Sharing Agreements with the government despite the fact that their MPSAs are very near densely populated areas in the City of Naga.
“I vehemently question the issuance of an MPSA covering areas where there already are settlements,” Gov. Garcia said during a meeting at the Capitol on December 2.
The meeting was attended by DENR region 7 executive director Paquito Melicor, Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) 7 director Armando Malicse, Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) 7 director Ma. Victoria Abrera, ALQC quarry operations superintendent William Melano Jr., and CEMEX Operations Country Head Luis Franco.
ALQC is CEMEX Philippines’ principal supplier of limestone, clay and greywacke which are raw materials for cement production of its plant based in the same southern city of the province.
MPSA is a contract between the government and a mining operator, granting the latter the right to explore, develop, and utilize mineral resources in exchange for a share of production profits. Operators are required to adhere to stringent environmental and safety standards as stipulated under the Philippine Mining Act of 1995.
An MPSA is issued by the MGB, an attached agency of DENR responsible for the conservation, management, development, and use of the country's mineral resources, including those in reservations and public lands
Gov. Gwen expressed alarm over the serious hazards posed by the continued quarrying activities of ALQC in the city. It can be recalled that the massive landslide that occurred in 2018 took place in Barangay Tinaan and falls within the MPSA area of ALQC.
The horrible incident claimed the lives of at least 77 people and caused and the destruction of several homes, with several individuals unaccounted for to this day.
“I discovered this by accident that they went beyond the boundaries of both MPSA 1 and 2. And now upon closer study, look at these communities. Ang dami ng mga bahay. Are we going to allow another tragedy to happen just because may MPSA sila?” she added.
According to data from the Provincial Planning and Development Office, ALQC has an MPSA area covering a total of 329.96 hectares, with MPSA 1 covering 199.69 hectares and MPSA 2 covering 130.27 hectares.
However, data showed that the company have made quarry operations in at least 20.37 hectares beyond its MPSA areas.
Moreover, the Governor also discovered based on an archived case that ALQC actually holds eight MPSAs covering a total of 3,302 hectares; and that it failed to disclose the six other MPSAs while admitting to holding only two MPSAs.
On Monday, the Governor issued Executive Order No. 22 ordering ALQC to cease and desist from all “earth-moving operations” within all its MPSA areas in the City of Naga for one month, starting December 3, pending the conduct of an environmental audit, comprehensive area risk assessment, and the determination of the carrying capacity of the MPSA areas. | SN