Residents of  coastal towns in Cagayan province trooped to Malacanang and the House of Representative to call for the immediate halt to magnetite mining (also known as black sand) operations there.

The Federation of Environmental Advocates of Cagayan (FEAC) and Kalikasan-People’s Network for the Environment (Kalikasan PNE), among others, demanded Pres. Benigno Aquino III to cancel all mining permits issued by the local Mines and Geosciences Bureau and for the Congress to conduct onsite investigation on the impact in ecosystem and the livelihood of the residents.

According to Kalikasan-PNE, about 53,684 hectares of coastal land and foreshore are covered by magnetite mining, from the north-eastern coastal town of Gonzaga to the northwest town of Pamplona.

The group said mining caused erosion of their coastline and the riverbanks of the Cagayan River.

“Studies and scientific investigations of magnetite mining areas in the province have concluded that black sand mining operations, regardless of legality, contributed to the depletion of fisheries, salt water and chemical intrusion into the freshwater table, and worsened flooding in coastal and riverside communities,” said Clemente Bautista, national coordinator of Kalikasan-PNE.

Recently, at least 10 mining firms were given permits by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), granting them permission to extract gravel and sand until 2015 and black sand until 2017.

Aside from the ten mining firms, around 19 mining firms still operate in the province, according to FEAC. This despite the raids conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation under the operations of MGB office in Cagayan to rid illegal mining and prohibit mining operation within 200 meter from the shoreline.

Residents stressed that legal mines had greater impact on their livelihood.

“Those that have been impacting on our livelihood and safety are actually legal mines given permission by MGB and local governments, such as the Lutra Inc., Lian Xing Philippines Stone Carving Co. and San You Philippines Mining Ltd. Inc. Some of these were just recently given renewed permits to operate, and we find it incredible how these operations pass the requirements of MGB and LGUs,” said Isabelo Adviento, spokesperson of Kagimungan, a local peasant organization in Cagayan.

A resident from Brgy. Dodan, Aparri said that since magnetite mining operation started in 2007, their farmlands had been destroyed due to salt water intrusion.

“Our sand dunes had been destroyed and salt water is entering our farms, destroying our crops,” said Cleng Siriban.

She said that their income had dwindled since then. Even fisherfolks are complaining that fishes are becoming rare. “Before, in one daklis (ilocano term that refers to a process of catching fish involving the entire community), we get five truckloads of fish. Now, we only get one truckload,” Siriban said.

In 2010, an Environmental Investigation Mission (EIM) conducted by the Center for Environmental Concerns (CEC), concluded that magnetite mining operations along the Cagayan River in the municipalities of Camalaniugan, Lal-lo and Aparri worsened flooding due to bank erosion.

The same was observed in the magnetite mining-affected coastal communities in the municipalities of Gonzaga and Aparri because of the destruction of sand dunes and the disruption of the coastal sediment budget.

The EIM also concluded that magnetite mining contributed to the depletion of fisheries supply, noting observation of locals that fresh water mollusk known locally as Unnok and fish locally known asLudung were reported to have drastically decreased in supply post-mining.

The findings of CEC were again confirmed in a separate Environmental and Social Risk Appraisal by Kalikasan last 2012.

In their report, fish kills were observed by the fisherfolk in Buguey Lagoon where 50 percent of their local Malaga cultures perished between January and February of 2012.

The report also noted that seven out of the nine barangays surveyed had varying reports of salt water intrusion, foul odor and discoloration and chemical contamination of deep wells and other fresh water supplies, affecting the potable water supply and the agricultural land and crop quality in the affected areas.

Aside from the impact on their livelihood and the ecosystem, some residents who are vocal against the mining operations complained of harassment from the local government units who allegedly connived with the mining firms.

“They sued me for being vocal against the mining. I got three cases, last August they issued a warrant of arrest for oral defamatory against me,” said Susana Balao.

She said that Dadon barangay officials are threatening her of filing another case this time for attempted murder. But the 61 years old Balao is unfazed with the harassment and vowed to continue their fight against magnetite mining.

“Thousands of our fellow Cagayanons and no less than Tuguegarao Archbishop Sergio Utleg have joined our long-standing calls for the revocation of all black sand mining permits in Cagayan. We brought our demands before the Malacanang’s Cagayan Black Sand Mining Task Force, to which they promised an immediate investigation and stoppage of magnetite mining operations in the area. The people of Cagayan will remain vigilant and will hold Pres. Benigno Aquino III accountable for his office’s promises,” added Adviento.

In a statement, the multi-sectoral organization, Defend Patrimony, said that the impacts of magnetite mining operations in Cagayan are an indictment to the flawed mining policies of the government.

“Despite the passage of Aquino’s Executive Order 79, the scourge of magnetite mining remain unaddressed – some hide behind small-scale mining permits despite using large-scale machinery and equipment, while others are actual Mineral Production Sharing Agreements legitimized by the Mining Act of 1995. Let us not forget how the Nicua Magnetite MPSA in Leyte caused massive fish kills last year, a disaster waiting to happen in Cagayan unless we put a stop to it,” the group said.