CITY OF ILAGAN, Isabela -- The 70-billion-peso income from mining does not compensate for the losses and long-term destruction to the country’s natural resources, President Rodrigo Duterte said as he presided over the situational briefing in the aftermath of Typhoon Ompong at the Balay building of the Isabela provincial capitol on Tuesday.
Reacting to the updates of Presidential Adviser Francis Tolentino on 62 confirmed Cordillera deaths mostly in Benguet, Duterte said the income from mining would be nothing compared to the environmental woes and health concerns plaguing mining communities.
“I do not hate mining but it must be stopped. I do not have the power to abrogate mining,” he said.
He rued the prevalence of small-scale mining nationwide.
“There are so many pit minings. Many are abandoned and illegally made. They turn the waters into brown and black,” Duterte added.
“What I think is stupid when mining people occupy watersheds and destroy the environment,” he added.
The country’s economic leaders had been hesitant on stopping mining “but when it takes its toll, we end up spending more (than what they contribute to the coffers.),” he said. (PNA)
