Makabayan bloc lawmakers are seeking a congressional inquiry into the massive landslide in Brgy. Masara, Maco, Davao de Oro which killed over 90 individuals.
The landslide that occurred on February 6 buried 55 residential homes and two buses carrying employees of Apex. Mining Co. which reportedly operates in the said area.
In a House Resolution, Gabriella Women's Party Rep. Arlene Brosas, ACT Teachers Party-List Rep. France Castro, and Kabataan Party-List Rep. Raoul Manuel cited that mining activities heightened after former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte ordered the nine-year ban on new mining agreements.
"The enduring link between large-scale mining in the nation and environmental ruin and crises is a direct result of opening the mining sector to foreign exploitation for minerals export, relegating the Philippine economy to a mere supplier of raw materials," they said.
Basahin> kopya ng resolusyon ng Makabayan Bloc na umaapela sa gobyerno na suspindihin o tuluyan nang ipagbawal ang large scale mining operations sa bansa kasunod ng trahedya sa Davao de Oro @ArleneBrosas @dzrhnews pic.twitter.com/QkEH1QGMby
— milky rigonan 💋 (@milkyrigonan) February 16, 2024
The lawmakers asserted that the country continues to face numerous mining controversies, inflict damage on the ecosystem, displaces communities, destroys livelihood, encroaches ancestral lands, and violates human rights over the past two decades since the Philippine Mining Act of 1995 was enacted.
"Now, therefore, be it resolved, as it is hereby resolved, that the Committee on Natural Resources conduct an investigation, in aid of legislation, on the devastating landslide in Brgy. Masara, Maco, Davao De Oro," they furthered.
Brosas, meanwhile, appealed to the Marcos administration to suspend or permanently ban the operations of all mining companies in the country.
Tuluyang pagbabawal sa large-scale mining sa bansa, ipinanawagan ng Makabayan bloc | RH 12 @milkyrigonan #MBCNetworkNews#SamaSamaTayoPilipino
— DZRH NEWS (@dzrhnews) February 16, 2024
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