The anti-mining group Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM) questioned the readiness of government to monitor and regulate offshore mining activities.
“We highly doubt that government can oversee offshore mining operations and guard against its negative impacts,” said Jaybee Garganera, the group’s national coordinator, in a statement.
He said the government “should not be so hasty in allowing offshore mining activities given the impact of such activities on the marine ecosystem and the livelihoods of communities.”
Garganera also warned against moves to conduct deep sea mining.
The Deep Sea Conservation Coalition in the United Nations has been calling governments to “stand with the science and support a moratorium on deep-sea mining.”
A DSCC position paper holds that there should be a moratorium on deep seabed mining.
The government should halt seabed quarrying and offshore mining until further research is done on the environmental effects of these activities, a coalition opposed to mining said.
“There should be a halt in seabed quarrying projects considering the government still has to undertake economic valuation or natural capital accounting of our marine ecosystems,” said Garganera.
“Without knowing the value of our marine life, there is no way to determine the tradeoffs that come with destructive seabed quarrying and offshore mining,” he added.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources last year declared a moratorium on new applications for permits for special exploration and for seabed quarrying.
In 2022, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau had six applications for government seabed quarry permit.
The Advocates of Science and Technology for the People claimed that quarrying operations are driving away fish in Manila Bay due to pollution and noise.
The group warned that seabed quarrying will not only put coastal ecosystems, but also the country’s fisheries production, at risk.
