I saw this post from one of my friends and I immediately want to spread the word.
Palawan, one of the last remaining islands here in the Philippines that holds one of the richest biodiversity in the country. And now, it is being threaten by mining companies.
If you want to save this beautiful island,
then sign this petition voting against mining in Palawan.
at
On January 24 a very dear friend and colleague Gerry Ortega was shot in the head dead. I was just with him that weekend – and a few minutes before he died what we were discussing over the phone was an anti-mining campaign in Palawan – given that on December two huge mining applications were railroaded – and they were to be near protected sites.
Gerry is dead but we will not let go of his dreams – and mine – and probably yours too.
Palawan has 17 key biodiversity sites – which means it is part of the 70% biodiversity sites which are essential for sustaining life in the planet. It has 2 world heritage sites, 8 protected sites. Yet if you see Palawan on the map you will note that it is a very thin island – which is 82% mountain. It means that if the forest gets denuded and the minerals excavated – the tailings seep directly into the sea affecting the coral reefs. The top soil is thin – and the island eco system is fragile.
Mining is not the way to go for Palawan . I have five eco tourism sites wherein the communities involved can now send their children to school, can dream bigger dreams. Mayor Hagedorn in Puerto Princesa has banned mining and logging – and focused on tourism and agriculture. From 2 flights a week, Puerto Princesa now boasts 10 flights a day. His revenues have gone up from several million to several billion.
Mining as an economic path in a magnificent “Last Frontier” is based on a paradigm of economic growth that is myopic and archaic . In this age of climate change and global warming any economic development that does not recognize and revere the web of life should be thrown in the dustbin.
Please please support the ten million signature campaign to Stop Mining in Palawan . The richness of Palawan is the wealth and pride of the country, it is the wealth of the world. Log in to www.no2mininginpalawan.com.. register your vote and please please send it to thousands others. You can also include your household by downloading the form printing it – and faxing it t 4152227 or you can scan it and send it to signatures@no2mininginpalawan.com. Questions can be sent to signatures@no2mininginpalawan.com.
GINA LOPEZ
Managing Director
ABS-CBN Foundation, Inc.
Remember guys, every vote counts and you can definitely make a difference in saving what’s left of the Philippines.
Yours Truly,
.N.
nfblogs.wordpress.com 
I wanna read more posts,informative post, and it brings enthusiasm
SUPPORT “NO-TO-MINING-IN-PALAWAN” Campaigns…
I wanna read more posts,informative post, and it brings enthusiasm…
SUPPORT “NO-TO-MINING-IN-PALAWAN” Campaigns…
we cannot allow the beautiful place to be ruined in just A BLINK OF AN EYE!!!HINDI lahat ay nakikinabang sa ganitong gawain!!!we are just taking the life of the future generation!!!!
hope d campaign will last and NOT just from d start…………condolence to d family.
If the Gina Lopez truly wants to save the environment she should start first by cleaning up the oil spill in Makati that was caused by the Lopez owned First Philippine Industrial Corporation (FPIC).
Probably the only reason why she is pushing for this petition is to call attention to her eco-tourism projects in Palawan.
you got that right, im against mining.. pro kung gnitong tao ang magsasabi na stop ang mining sa palawan pra sa kanilang eco tourism projects ay hypocrisy sa akin..
tama yn ksi m balak talaga sya na mg tayo ng nigusyo nya sa palawan lalo na sa sabsaban falls na inaangkin nya,
sana mawala n yong mining n sumira s kagandahan ng palawan.
parts, ito pang ultimatom na sagot sa problema ng palawan! c tarzan lang patirahin nyo,d un marunong magkaingin,o magsaka d nya rin kylangan bahay na bato at aircon,mall,pier at airport at nga gamit tulad ng celphone,computer,kaldiro,motor,makalambitin lang xa s bagin at mkakain ng saging msaya n xa.hehe…!yan ang tunay na pag preserved ng palawan..hehe…
Thank you for supporting No to Mining in Palawan 10 million signatures!
i hate it when i know and count another selfish people..if you love your self,your family and friends.please love the earth,..
stop destyoying palawan..you dissolve the hope of a good future for the next generations
Mining involves the exploration and removal of minerals. Minerals are major sources of energy. It can be use as fertilizers. The ores are treated with chemicals to produce metal. It is converted to aluminum oxide to make aluminum metal. Coal and uranium are processed with chemicals to produce the quality of fuel.
But there is an environmental impact
It affects the quality of air where matter is released in the surface. The soil as well as the vegetation is affected. The particulates become airborne which will affect human health. Mining can cause disturbance to the landscape. The disturbance may reduce wildlife and other species like plants species in an area. The acid will be a pollutant to the water. The sediments will contaminate the water and will affect fisheries, irrigation, water supply and other streams.
Lead affects the human health such as seizures, coma, and death.
NO To Mining In Palawan
Yes to Responsible Mining! 🙂 i witnessed how Rio Tuba Nickel Mining Corporation specifically did its part in practicing responsible mining…the company contributed a lot in Rio Tuba a town which is located in the southern part of Palawan and now i saw a lot of improvements… Mining went wrong if the authorities don’t follow what is to be done and irresponsible mining practices…I know some mining companies in palawan are irresponsible but Rio Tuba Mining Corporation is not one of them…
please stop mining not only in palawan but in the whole wild word protect our planet earth.
wow, that’s cool but i think we can’t.. we can not stop mining if we pursue to develop and enhance our way of living. from food preparation to transportation. we need mining! you know why? because we used “metals” in everyday life, how is your rice prepared of?,, the only way to fight mining is to support “responsible mining”!!! we need – zoning, environmental politics, pollution control, social developments, etc..
if you really want to stop mining,,,? then DO NOT use your pan (kaldero) in cooking and just stroll everyday. start now to be a member of a so called “no to mining advocacy” and NEVER USED any metallic products…
NO MINING ALL OVER THE PHILIPPINES
E-mail sent to all my friends reminding them to vote “NO 2 mining in Palawan.com”. Sa kaso ko, dalawang besis akong bomotokasi si MRS. ko ay walang e-mail address, puwedi ba itong ginawa ko? MARAMING SALAMAT sa campaign ninyo tungkul sa ating INVIRONMENT, kayamanan natin ito na kailangan ma-PRESERVE.
Roger Colldo Mendaros & Ellen Peter Mendaros, H/W voting for this cause…
Mining on a protected sites or near it in Palawan is a not sound economic endeavor for creating employment and economic activity? It is more on greediness that motivates them. If we let them succeed, dont look back for the lost frontier ,
I agree !!! wag nmn nila sirain ung isa s mga natitirang natural resources ntin, based sa mga nbasa ko, my mga scientist na ngsbing mrami png di nadidisscover ss mga forest ng palawan na pwedeng gwing gmot sa mga uncured diseases….kya “NO TO MINING IN PALAWAN” !!!
I AGREE FOR THIS MOVEMENT..
LET US SAVE OUR PILIPINAS KONG MAHAL.. START NTEN SA PALAWAN… ISA YAN SA YAMAN NG BANSANG PILIPINAS NA DPAT NTENG INGATAN AT PANGALAGAAN SANA AY MAI-SAVE ITO PRA NA REN SA ATING KABABAYAN DOON…
i agree to “no palawan mining campaign .. let us preserved starting in Palawan.
no to mining in palawan!
to save the environment and the last frontier in the philippines
PIA Press Release
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
Feature: The Real Score: Palawan’s Forest Remains the Country’s Largest
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, 02 February (PIA) — Amid the growing concern over the threats confronting Palawan’s forest, it’s green velvety sprawl remains the largest expanse in the entire Philippines representing about 11.3% of the country’s total forest cover.
With the 2005 SPOT 5 satellite imageries using remote sensing techniques as the basis of interpretation, PCSDS’ data show that Palawan still has 666,338 hectares, representing about 46% of its total land area. This is nestled mostly in the mountain ranges dissecting mainland Palawan.
Palawan takes pride of its 46% forest cover exceeding the regional forest covers of the 15 regions recorded for the 17 regions in the country not to mention the province’s 58,000 hectares of mangrove forest representing 38% or one-third span in the entire country.
Apparently, the growing concern of the alleged alarming decline in forest cover was prompted by the comparative data on forest cover between 1992 and 2005. In 1992, Palawan’s forest was recorded at 738,886 has representing about 52 % of Palawan’s total land area. In 2005, forest cover went down to 46 % appearing to have declined by about 6% (5,500 has. per year) for the last 13 years (1992-2005).
“One of the major factors for decrease in forest cover could be attributed mostly to conversion of public lands into alienable and disposable to support the government’s land titling and agrarian land reform programs. The reported forest loss is comparatively very low as deforestation rate was a record high at 19,000 has./year in the early 80’s before the SEP Law was passed” says Romeo Dorado, OIC-Exec. Director of the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff (PCSDS).
The 19,000 hectares annual deforestation rate was estimated by foreign and Filipino consultants of the EEC-funded Integrated Environmental Program (IEP) of the Palawan Integrated Area Development Project Office (PIADPO), the forerunner of PCSDS. The output of the IEP was the Strategic Environmental Plan (SEP) which was later legislated into a special environmental law for Palawan by virtue of RA 7611.
Decrease in forest cover is a common scenario in most of developing countries in Southeast Asia to accommodate development (activities) so as to sustain the needs of fast-growing population. “ In Palawan however, forest utilization for economic endeavours is in safer grounds and at a slower pace, as we have ECAN, the main strategy of the SEP Law ” says Dorado. ECAN is a graded system of protection and development control for the entire province.
Further opening Palawan to mining has become a reverberating issue not only locally but nationally and internationally as well. NGO sector and some sectors of civil society blame mining as the main culprit for Palawan’s deforestation. “But this allegation is grossly inaccurate and lacking in well established data support” stressed Dorado.
For instance, PCSDS scientific findings directly relate actual loss of the standing trees in Palawan not primarily due to mining but to continuing harvest of timber for domestic consumption, forest
land use conversion for agricultural development and continuous establishment of human settlements to accommodate the Province’s increasing population growth rate at an average of 3.5% per annum, mostly due to in-migration.
Areas Approved for Mining
The national leadership of the Philippine government has identified mining as one of the key industries to be developed in its efforts to secure funds for financing public sector investments. The impact of this national policy is the influx of mining applications within the last five (5) years, especially in 2007. This served as leverage to SEP’s sustainable development objectives.
The PCSD, the agency tasked to implement SEP in Palawan realized that balancing development and the preservation of environment under varying interests and agenda of stakeholders and key players both within and outside Palawan with regards to mining is a gargantuan and difficult task.
Following the established ECAN guidelines, the PCSDS ensures that these areas are situated in less vulnerable areas such as the Controlled-Use, traditional-use and multiple-use zones.
The PCSD’s records show that out of the total 47,957 hectares applied for mining in the province, the Council only granted Strategic Environmental Plan (SEP) Clearance covering an aggregate area of about 17,745 has. or only about 2.6% of the 666,338 remaining forest. Out of these, only 1,557 hectares or 0.2% is allowed for actual mining operation while the larger part was restricted for mining exploration.
As of date, there are 429 pending mining tenement applications with the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB)-DENR covering approximately 742,438.38 has. or roughly 50% of the total Palawan area. If all these will be subjected to mining, one can imagine that practically no more forests will be left in Palawan. But the PCSDS confidently say that with SEP Law’s main strategy – the Environmentally Critical Area Network or ECAN, most of areas covered by these applications will not prosper since most of the mining claims fall within the restricted and core zones (or protection zones) where mining activity is definitely not allowed.
The ECAN, SEP Law and the PCSD
The central strategy of the SEP Law is a zoning strategy called the ECAN (Environmentally Critical Areas Network). ECAN is a graded system of protection and development control over the whole province.
It is strategically configured to protect environmentally critical habitats. Generally, the core area is strictly protected to meet conservation objectives. Around the core area, the buffer zone is delimited for non-extractive uses, while the transition area is where sustainable development activities with local communities are organized.
All 23 municipalities of Palawan and the City of Puerto Princesa have adopted their ECAN zones maps for their respective planning and regulatory agenda. Innate in the Law is the PCSD (Palawan Council for Sustainable Development) charged with implementing the Law in Palawan. It is practically composed of a multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary representations of Palawan leaders and sector-representatives. It is presently headed by the Governor of Palawan as chair.
SEP Law is for Sustainable Development
PCSD’s mandate is to ensure sustainable development and not merely environmental protection. And as a national government agency, it has to be supportive of the national policy where mining is one of the national government’s flagship projects.
Issuance of SEP Clearance to mining claims is a shared responsibility among the stakeholders such that before PCSD acts on all project applications, the endorsements of the Local Government Units (Barangay/Municipal Council, Provincial Board) and the Indigenous People Communities are required.
Unlike in other provinces, ECAN of the SEP Law assures that highly vulnerable areas in the province will not be subject to any (not just mining) extractive development activities, and will be maintained free of human shovelling hands. This means a long-term guarantee of protecting around 565,400 has. located in the core and restricted zones, it follows that these are guaranteed for protection.
SEP Clearance Compliance Monitoring
Companies whose mining applications were issued SEP Clearances are strictly required by the PCSD to engage in responsible mining. This concern is spelled out in the terms and conditions of the SEP Clearance. To minimize negative environmental impacts, mining companies have to make sure that mitigating measures are followed (i. e. every felled tree has to be replaced), including the installation of anti-erosion and other measures. Non-compliance of these may lead to cancellation of the SEP Clearance.
A Positive but Challenging Indicator
The appreciable change in deforestation rates from 19,000 hectares per year (1978-1983) to 5,500 hectares (1992-2005) can be a positive indicator that the pressures on the forest have somehow eased.
However, PCSDS believe that there is a need to pause considering the consequent loss of biodiversity and the loss of ecological service values brought about by land conversion.
With the changing climate, rains are heavier and more intensified, dry spells are as extreme. The PCSDS is now assessing these changes so that immediate policies will be posted to serve as early warning device. As it did in banning small scale mining before, once scientific justification
signals, pushing the button for the ban of large scale mining operations in Palawan may soon be a possibility.
The remaining forest cover of Palawan is a huge foam for carbon stock sequestrations calculated at 206.6 million metric tons of carbon (PCSDS 2010). Using a conservative carbon price of US$15/tC, the total economic value of carbon stocks of Palawan forests can be estimated at PhP
130.1 trillion. Carbon stock market for Palawan therefore is feasible.
“We should take pride that despite all these, Palawan maintains its status as the province with the largest carbon sink in the country. PCSD continuously commit not to compromise the sustainable development agenda of Palawan that it is mandated to do. However, it is important for everyone to understand that sustainable development is not just environmental protection. There is a growing number of mouths to feed, roads to build, and contributions to national vision of economic stability without forgetting its commitment to making it truly a “Man and a Biosphere Reserve”. We believe it can be done as sustainable development is just a matter of striking the correct balance” says Dorado. (pcsds/pia-palawan)
yes! let’s support them not just for us but for the next generations future…
Yes! Lets support them not just 4 us but 4 the next generations future..
Pangarap kong madalaw ang palawan someday… I heard alot of good things about it at ang kagandahan ng nature nito ay priceless… sana naman hindi matuloy ang pagmina nila sa gandang kalikasan. We need to preserve palawan it is one of the most beutiful Island in the world talaga…
i am a cuyonin palawan native, i would like to thank you for the support of no to mining in palawan.
i wish mam gina u can also vist berong quezon palawan, where the mining was started.
please kindly check our mountain where they were digging soil. as they said they are also planting trees after taking out the minerals. i love my town, we have a beatiful resources.
thanks a lot for this site…
i am a cuyonin palawan native, i would like to thank you for the support of no to mining in palawan.
i wish mam gina u can also vist berong quezon palawan, where the mining was started.
kindly check our mountain where they were digging soil. as they said they are also planting trees after taking out the minerals. i love my town, we have a beatiful resources.
thanks a lot for this site…
life is too short do ko pa nakikita at nasisilayan ang gandang natural ng palawan
No to Palawan Mining.Let us save this last piece of paradise from these greedy companies,all they care about are their own pockets when all is mined do you think they will clean up?They will just pack their bags and leave.
sana wag nyo naman sirain ang palawan mahalin ntin ang palawan sapagkat atin to hindi sa mga dayuhan ipag malaki natin na may maganda tayong palawan
STOP MINING IN PALAWAN CONSERVED OUR NATURE PLAWAN IS LIKE A GARDEN OF EDEN FULL GODLY CREATION
Stop mining…Palawan ito n ang simula ng pagkasira ng mga magagandang kabundokan s Palawan…
Sa Palwan nalang makikita ang magagandang kagubatan.sana nmn ipaglaban ito ng mga palawinyo…at isa nk sa nga tumututol sa mining…dahil maraming buhay ang masisira ng dahil s mining..pagipinagpatuloy ito tuloyan ng masira ang palawan….ng dahil sa mga taong makasarili….
huwag natin hayaang masira ang ating kalikasan sapagkat dito nakasalalay ang ating buhay at sa mga darating pang henerasyon.aanhin pa natin ang maunlad na bansa kung sira na ang ating mother earth.kung hahayaan nating masira ito,tayo din ang unang maaapektuhan,tayo din ang magdurusa,di natin magagamit ang ating napakaraming pera para pigilan ang anumang kalamidad na darating.di natin magagamit ang ating yaman sa ganitong pgkakataon kung sira na ang ating mundo.napakahalaga ng kalikasan dapat natin tong pahalagahan at mahalin dahil ito ang napakagandang regalo sa atin ng Diyos.just think God always.kasalanan ang paninira ng kalikasan. if we love God so much please let us love our mother earth.tnx
hi guys gusto naming makatulong patungkol sa NO-MINING sa Palawan so we are goin to create an event here in isabela (santiago city) for us to say something so di lang namin alam kung cnu ang dapat naming i-top for us to help and extend our hands for those groups na sumusoporta sa movement na ito please if you are interested or know something please feel free to email me or check my website . . .maraming salamat po . . .
Save Mount Bulanjao. Stop Coral Bay Nickel’s operation!
All the stockpiles in Rio Tuba has been used up by Coral Bay Nickel Corporation! Their next target: Mt. Bulanjao. Before that happens, please support the “No to mining in Palawan!” campaign. Before it is too late.
… save mother earth by saying NO TO MINING IN PALAWAN…. act now… do our share…
i agree to the stop mining in palawan all you bastard!!!!!
mga greed kyo tigil nyo na paniira sa pinas!! mga haup!!!
dt binabaon kyo sa hukay n gnagawa kyo
STOP MINING IN PALAWAN!!!
ang gnda pa nmn nun bket ccrain nyo lng!! gusto ku p nmn mg punta dunT_T
be aware of what we see….care where your,, around save our environment,,
pls kung sino pwdi gumawa ng speech para sa no mining to palawan.. about 2 mins lng 🙂 short speech lng about no mining in palawan.. pls send nlng po sa esmiro72656@yahoo.com thanks po.. kung sino makapag help sakin 🙂 . wala kaci ako maisip na speech hehe..
KALIKASAN KABUHAYAN ITOY ATING ALAGAAN PARA SA KINABUKASAN
KUNG MAY KALIKASAN MAY KINABUKASAN KAMING MGA KABATAAN
You actually constructed a lot of outstanding items within ur blog, “NO to Palawan MINING!
|”. I am going to remain coming to ur page soon.
With thanks ,Sadye
kung ang ating kalikasan ay masisira, wala ng kaunlaran na mangyayari ang ating bansa!