IF attendance were any indicator, managing resources and implementing applicable mining laws to protect the environment here may not be a priority for mayors here.
Less than a quarter of Bohol’s 47 mayors attended, and for those who did, not all of them stayed the duration of the daylong Stakeholders Forum of the Regional Minerals Development Council held at Jjs Seafoods Thursday September 25, 2008.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources Region 7 (DENR-7) brought in its Mines and GeoSciences Bureau (MGB) supposedly to explain to local chief executives the issues and concerns concerning the country’s and Bohol’s mining sector.
Commenting on the lousy attendance, MGB Officer in Charge Director Roger de Dios said it is sad to say they [mayors] lack interest.
The forum which was supposedly set to orient mayors on the regulatory framework of mining in the country, brief them on the local mining situation and update them of their complementary roles in the implementation of the mining laws, rules and regulations
The MGB comment came after Boholanos openly ask for the DENR to update them on the mining status of Bohol just as Capitol’s Task Force Kabukiran and deputized environment agents are now scouring the upland areas to sort the legal from the illegal quarry operators.
Mayors who were spotted at the forum were from Loon, Guindulman, San Miguel, Anda, Buenavista, Clarin, while Talibon sent in the vice mayor.
Other towns sent in representatives instead.
De Dios, who also talked about generating the needed revenues from local mining shares hinted that if only towns could fully flex its powers, then revenue generation is complemented by small scale mining operations.
He also cited the need to pass the local mining ordinance so that it could remedy the problem of sharing in the revenues especially when the operation is done in a private lot.
Records form the DENR 7 state that only Bohol and Cebu province have not enacted their specific local mining ordinances, this apparently has hampered the share claims of local governments especially when mining operation is within a private lot.
According to separate sources, municipal governments can earn as much as 70% of the mining shares while the remaining 30% payments for the operation goes to provincial governments. (rachiu/PIA)
