Bishop to Noy: Revoke all black sand mining permits

By Charlie Lagasca 

TUGUEGARAO CITY  – Cagayan Valley’s highest Catholic prelate has renewed his call for the dismantling of black sand mining projects in Cagayan, which he said would only destroy the environment.

Tuguegarao City Archbishop Sergio Utleg called on President Aquino to revoke all permits allowing the extraction of black sand along the province’s northern coastlines.

“We are appealing to you to order the immediate closure of all large-scale black sand mining in Cagayan and the dismantling of their processing plants. We believe that these are blatant violations of the law,” Utleg said in a letter to the President.

Utleg said black sand mining thrives in Cagayan because of the collusion of foreign firms, local politicians and other people in the government “who do not have the interest of the people at heart.”

He said firms with permits to extract black sand have been operating within 200 to 500 meters offshore, posing high risk to the lives of the fisherfolk.

Large-scale black sand extractions, according to Utleg, are rampant along the coastlines of Aparri, Buguey, Sta. Teresita, Gonzaga, Lallo, and Camalaniugan towns.

A rich resource along the Cagayan and Ilocos coastlines, black sand or magnetite commands a high price in foreign markets, as it is used as additive in manufacturing concrete and steel products, magnets, paint, ink, paper, jewelry and cosmetics.

Recently, Malacañang created the Cagayan Black Sand Mining Task Force headed by Secretary Manuel Mamba, head of the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office, to go after the illegal extraction of magnetite along the province’s coastlines.– With Raymund Catindig