Catholic Church leaders in Palawan are aiming to gather 10 million signatures against mining operations in the province.
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said Puerto Princesa bishop Pedro Arigo dedicated the signature drive to anti-mining crusader and broadcaster Dr. Gerardo "Gerry" Ortega.
Ortega was gunned down at an ukay-ukay (used clothing store) in Puerto Princesa City in January, shortly after his radio program.
“On January 24, 2011, Palawan and the World lost a good man (and) a zealous advocate for environmental protection and a fearless critic of a cabal of corrupt officials," Arigo said of Ortega.
In a statement, excerpts of which were posted on the CBCP news site, Arigo expressed optimism that they can gather 10 million signatures because most people are now aware of the destruction that mining brings to communities.
Arigo recalled that when Ortega was still alive, he wanted local residents to “see the face of the real Palawan," which “was being ravaged and disemboweled because of selfish mining interests."
The CBCP also cited the environmental advocates who said in a manifesto titled "Doc Gerry's Dream," that Palawan still countless undiscovered species of flora and fauna in its forests and waters.
“Some of these species could unlock solutions to disease and climate change," they said.
The province has earlier been designated as “Man and Biosphere Reserve" by no less than the United Nations.
“Mining in Palawan will mean large-scale destruction of forests and ancestral lands, as well as contamination of bodies of water," they warned.
They expressed fears once Palawan is destroyed, “we don’t just [lose] its resources and heritage" because “the country’s last remaining treasures get destroyed as well." (report from VVP, GMA News)
