CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—A staunch environmentalist and a former Northern Mindanao regional official of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) angrily belied claims that illegal hydraulic mining in upstream Iponan River cannot be stopped because of socioeconomic considerations.

During the Joint Municipal and Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council session which tackled rampant illegal hydraulic mining in the Misamis Oriental side of the Iponan River, Raoul Geollegue said local government units should be ashamed for allowing hydraulic mining in the Iponan River to wreak havoc to the environment and lives of Cagayan de Oro City and Opol, Misamis Oriental. Most of the illegal hydraulic mining activities in the river is on the Opol side of Iponan River.

When Geollegue was still a regional technical director of the DENR in Northern Mindanao (which he later headed as regional executive director), he issued an alarm that the rampant logging and mining activities in the upper water catchment of Cagayan de Oro would result in an Ormoc-like tragedy. This was in 1991.

Geollegue’s worst fears happened last year, or 20 years after his warning.

The environment and natural resources officer of Misamis Oriental, Conrado “Dodong” Sescon, identified 14 persons operating hydraulic machines used in the illegal mining activities along Iponan River, specifically in Barangays Bagocboc, Tingalan, Nangcaon and Cauyunan.

Sescon also identified a certain Dulper Gayla and the “Mendoza family” as involved in the hydraulicking activities in Sitio Inapasan, Barangay Bagocboc, Opol, Misamis Oriental.

Those involved in the hydraulicking activities along the Iponan River are using engines that range from 10 horsepower (hp) to 24 hp to pump water uphill to destroy a mountain side believed to contain gold nuggets. Hydraulic mining is a form of mining that uses high-pressure jets of water to dislodge rock material or move sediment. Water is redirected into narrow channels, usually canvas or rubberized plastic hoses and out through a giant iron “monitor” or nozzle. The extremely high-pressure stream is used to wash entire hillsides through enormous sluices. The resulting water-sediment slurry is directed through sluice boxes to remove the gold.

For a few grams of gold—which benefits only a few individuals—entire hills and mountains are destroyed and the livelihood of those depending on the river and seas are also affected.

 “Mining up there affects thousands of fishers downstream. With this equation, what kind of political will would we need to stop this? We are talking about [a few] families doing hydraulic mining up there. And for us to allow this to happen for the last 20 years is a shame because the Local Government Code states that we are duty-bound to protect the environment,” said Geollegue.

Section 16 (General Welfare) of the Local Government Code of the Philippines states that “every local government unit…shall ensure and support, among other things, the preservation and enrichment of culture, promote health and safety, enhance the right of the people to a balanced ecology….”

With all the laws mandating government to protect the environment for the welfare of the public, it is now high time for the people—whether government officials or ordinary citizens—to obey the law, Geollegue said.

 “Rule of law should prevail and not of men,” said Orlando Ravanera, director of the Cooperative Development Authority-X (CDA-10) and chairman of the environment watchdog Task Force Macajalar (TFM).

Ravanera said, “TFM has a long history of warning the people and raising the awareness of local government officials about the dangers of mining and the destruction of the environment but nobody listened to us.”

 He said that one politician even told him that the TFM cannot stop mining and logging activities in the hinterlands of the city because the people supporting these are “powerful” people in government. The same politician, whom he did not name, saia d that these activities should instead be legalized.

“If we legalize illegal mining and illegal logging, then we should also legalize rape, kidnapping, illegal drug dealing,” Ravanera said, adding that there is a big difference between crimes against person and crime against the environment. “If you commit rape, kidnapping, or hold-ups, there are only one or two victims. But if you commit a crime against the environment, the victims number thousands.”

In order to finally stop illegal hydraulic mining activities in Iponan River, a holistic and collaborative approach should be undertaken, said Misamis Oriental Vice Gov. Norris Babiera.

Babiera said that the problem is very complex, thus the need for a holistic and collaborative effort by the local governments of Opol, Misamis Oriental and Cagayan de Oro City.

“The problem is very complex that solving it needs collaborative effort between the municipal and provincial councils. We are hoping that Cagayan de Oro will join in this effort since most of the persons operating hydraulic mining are from the city,” he said.

Sescon said that all of those doing hydraulicking activities along the Iponan River in the Misamis Oriental side are residents of Cagayan de Oro City.