Tuesday, March 18, 2008 [ sunstar.com.ph ]
THE four multinational mining companies on Mt. Hamiguitan, which has been declared a national park, are not doing any damage to the environment, an official of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Davao City said.
In an interview with DENR Protected Areas Regional Technical Director Emmanuel Isip, he said it was even the four mining companies who helped their agency delineate the boundaries of the more than 6,000-hectare national park.
"Within the national park, no logging or mining is allowed," Isip said in a recent interview with Sun.Star.
According to Isip, prior to the proclamation of the area as a national park, four Mineral Product Sharing Agreements (MPSAs) between the multi-national mining firms and the DENR were already approved.
"But the companies voluntarily relinquished their rights to the DENR," Isip said.
Isip added that the companies were more than willing to help in the delineation of the boundaries of the national park.
"They also want to ensure na hindi nila (that they won't encroach on the) ma-encroach ang area," Isip added.
Environmentalist groups have been very critical of the presence of multi-national mining firms in the area of Mt. Hamiguitan, saying their presence threaten the stability of the environment in the natural park.
Mt. Hamiguitan is being preserved for its rich biodiversity and is a haven for biological scientists who have been studying the mountain's lush flora and fauna.
Mt. Hamiguitan is also home to the Bonsai forest and Tinagong Dagat, a lake right up the mountain's peak. (CPM)
