The Commission on Human Rights here in Negros Oriental is not buying the statement of the Tanjay City government that the Resolution of the Barangay Council of Barangay 4, where the site of the controversial dredging project is located, is the sentiment of the people.
Dr. Jesus Canete, CHR special investigator for Negros Oriental, said that contrary to the pronouncements of the City, he believes that no consultation with the people of Tambacan actually took place.
The people of Tambacan, a sitio of Tanjay’s Barangay 4, have set up barricades on the road leading to the sea, where the dredging project of the Sino-Italy Corp., which they believe is actually a black-sand mining project, is located.
“If there was a consultation, they would not be complaining now and the ongoing protest action in Tambacan would not have taken place,” he said.
Canete said his office will not entertain any complaints in relation to the impasse at the controversial alleged “black sand mining.”
He said it will be a waste of time and useless for him to accommodate such complaints for as long as the issue on the “black sand mining” would not be solved.
The failure in conducting a proper consultation was a blunder from the very start of the project, Canete said, even as the Sino-Italy Corp. had obtained the Environmental Compliance Certificate from the Department of Environment & Natural Resources.
As to the mineral processing plant erected in Tambacan, Cañete said he believes that this should be taken down. According to him, if the project was dredging per se, there would be no need for high-end equipment and an operations plant.
On human rights violations, Cañete stressed that he cannot blame the police for exercising their mandate to maintain peace and order at the Tambacan protest site, where residents have established barricades to prevent employees of Sino-Italy access to the mineral processing site.
On the other hand, he said he cannot also hold the residents accountable of any “violations” as they are merely exercising their “right”.
The barricading of the access road in Tambacan is only a side issue and what bears more weight on the controversy is for the LGU to submit to the people’s will.
The people have been denied of their right to information, said Cañete, referring to the perceived absence of public consultation, and government transparency has now been compromised, he added.
Tanjay City officials headed by Mayor Lawrence Teves have repeatedly explained and insisted that the multi-million-peso project is to dredge Tanjay River to prevent future flooding. Because the project is costly, the LGU has inked an agreement with the contractor that whatever minerals obtained in the process of dredging will go to them.
However, many quarters believe that the project is not dredging per se, but a full-scale black sand mining operations, which now has left an impasse as Gov. Roel Degamo has issued a cease-and-desist order until a dredging permit from the provincial government has been obtained. (PNA)
