The Catholic bishop of Virac has called for a moratorium on proposed and ongoing mining activities in Catanduanes that pose serious risks to the environment and public safety, pending independent assessments, public consultations, and full legal compliance.
Bishop Luisito A. Occiano issued the appeal in an Oct. 14 pastoral letter titled Pastoral Letter on the Protection of Catanduanes Against Destructive Mining, warning that poorly assessed and poorly regulated mining could endanger water sources, farms, communities and livelihoods across the island province.
“We cannot support destructive mining that puts human life, the common good, and the integrity of creation at serious and unacceptable risk,” Occiano said.
The prelate called for a moratorium on mining activities that pose serious risks to the environment and public safety until there is “independent assessment, transparent public consultation, and full legal compliance.”
“Where serious harm and violation of law are proven, operations must be suspended or stopped according to law,” he said.
The pastoral letter raised concern over proposed coal mining in Catanduanes and assurances that only five hectares would be mined.
“Five hectares may seem small on paper, but mining damage is not measured by size alone. Where is it located? How will it affect groundwater, rivers, farms, and homes? How will waste be handled?” Occiano said.
He warned that mining, if poorly assessed and poorly regulated, could poison water, destroy farmlands, cause erosion, floods and landslides, and damage habitats.
The diocese demanded “a transparent, independent, and comprehensive environmental assessment, with genuine participation of affected communities.”
“No economic promise can justify risking human life and irreversible damage to our island,” Occiano said.
The bishop also called on authorities to investigate reported deaths in gold mining areas in the province and to enforce safety and environmental laws.
Occiano said poverty and lack of jobs push some residents into mining and stressed that the Church does not condemn people trying to provide for their families.
“Many mine because they are poor and jobless. We do not condemn them. We ask: Why must our people risk death just to feed their families? And we insist: Whether legal or illegal, mining that endangers life and dignity is unacceptable. Legal does not always mean moral,” he said.
The pastoral letter called on the government to investigate mining-related deaths, enforce safety and environmental laws, punish violators, protect miners and provide decent, sustainable livelihoods.
“Human life must never be the price of profit,” Occiano said.
The bishop said mining could also threaten drinking and irrigation water, damage the livelihoods of farmers and fisherfolk, and increase the risks of erosion, flooding and landslides.
“The Church is not against development. We need development that serves people, not people serving profit,” he said.
Occiano urged government officials to put the common good first by ensuring honest assessments, truthful information, meaningful consultations and strict enforcement of the law. He also called on mining proponents to respect community rights and the limits of the island’s environment.
The bishop asked residents to remain vigilant, informed and united, and to seek the truth peacefully and report abuses properly.
“To our farmers, fisherfolk, and workers: The Church stands with you. Your life and dignity are more valuable than minerals beneath the soil,” he said.
Occiano said Catanduanes’ mountains, rivers, forests, farms and seas should not be treated merely as resources for exploitation.
“Catanduanes is small on the map, but precious to God. Our mountains, rivers, forests, farms and seas are not commodities to exploit. They are gifts from God and our heritage for the next generation,” he said.
He ended the pastoral letter with an appeal against sacrificing the island’s environment for short-term gain. “Let us not trade our common home for temporary wealth,” Occiano said.
