"THE COAL MINING IN BARANGAY NED LAKE SEBU SOUTH COTABATO"

Objectives : a. How this interruptions affect living organisms.
                    b. A specific example and issue about a certain coal mining company.

In a meeting on Monday, December 6, the South Cotabato Provincial Council approved the coal mining project of Daguma Agro-Minerals Incorporated (DAMI), Sultan Energy Philippines Corp. (SEPC), and Bonanza Energy Resources Inc. (BERI) in Barangay Ned, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato.

The abovementioned mining companies' Coal Operating Contracts (COC) 126, 134, and 138 cover approximately 9,000 hectares of land.

The Provincial Council's resolution mandates that'strip mining with progressive rehabilitation' be used instead of the open-pit mining practice, which is prohibited under the province's Environment Code.

The COCs of DAMI, SEPC, and BERI, as well as the permission of the Department of Energy, were unanimously accepted by the Provincial Council.

Hilario De Pedro 4th, Dardanilo Dar, Henry Ladot, Rolando Malabuyoc, Edgar Sambog, Eamon Matti, Jinky Avance-Samodal, Ellen Grace Subere-Albios, Ester Marin Catorce, Antonio Fungan, Alyssa Marie Fale, Rose Grace Achurra, Noel Escobillo, presiding officer South Cotabato Vice Gov. Vicente de Jesus, Ellen Grace

Ramon Ang, CEO of San Miguel Corp., which controls DAMI, was also present virtually, assuring the council that the open-pit approach would not be used in their mining operations.

The coal mine project was denied by the Provincial Council in 2018 because it reportedly breached the South Cotabato Environment Code.

At the time, the opposing viewpoint was that strip mining is deemed open-pit mining and so violates Section 22-b of the South Cotabato Environment Code.

The coal resources in Barangay Ned, on the other hand, have been blamed for a number of landslides and stress cracks in the village.

According to a geohazard danger advisory provided to Lake Sebu Mayor Floro Gandam by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau-Region12 on Aug. 13, 2019, one of the solutions to reduce these disasters is the exploitation of coal deposits in the hamlet.