TUBAY, Agusan del Norte, residents and officials are up in arms against Caloocan City Vice Mayor Edgar Erice for allegedly pressuring them to agree to the continued operation of a mining company that he owns and is under investigation for environmental destruction.    Tubay Mayor Sadeka Garcia Tomaneng disclosed over the weekend that Erice had filed a complaint against her before the Office of the Ombudsman over her relentless campaign against mining operations in her hometown. “He filed a case for grave abuse of authority. Pero wala akong ginagawang masama. Those petitions, galing sa mga tao ’yun,” Tomaneng said.

The case was filed as the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (MGB-DENR), under Director Leo Jasareno, placed SR Metals, Inc. and three other mining firms in Caraga under investigation due to their supposed failure to comply with environmental and health hazard laws.    

Erice and Miguel Alberto Gutierrez are listed as the principal owners of SR Metals. The former was president of the company until he became its chairman of the board at present.

Tomaneng said the latest MGB investigation is a result of several resolutions of the provincial government of Agusan del Norte in connection with the recommendation of the Municipal Council of Tubay regarding the alleged violation of the mining firm.

Tomaneng said she received letters from affected Tubay residents informing her of the destructive effects of  mining activities in the area, particularly on the marine life and lands surrounding the mining site.

The municipal government was seeking to collect over P100 million in taxes and fees but Erice, whose company earned P4 billion each year, allegedly refused to pay. Local government officials complained that the mining operations resulted in siltation, pollution and spawned the worst flooding in years in the region.

A resolution was sent to Malacañang and to DENR Sec. Ramon Paje and other concerned government agencies, including MGB, which conducted an initial investigation about the complaint, Tomaneng said.

The separate provincial and municipal resolutions called for the closure of SR Metals and the abrogation of its 25-year mineral production sharing agreement (MPSA).

For still unknown reasons, the MGB refuted the claims of Tubay residents, prompting Tomaneng to directly ask Jasareno to look into the matter, considering that the lives and livelihood of the residents are at stake.

Tomaneng expressed fears that Erice, also a top official of the Liberal Party (LP), might use his influence and perceived closeness to President Benigno Aquino III, his partymate, to protect the interest of the questioned mining firm.

The local government of Tubay also filed a case before the Board of Investments (BOI) against SRMI seeking the cancelation of the company’s registration aimed at stopping its operation and thus put an end to the agony of the people and the damage to the environment.

There is also an ongoing court case against the SRMI for its failure to pay the Tubay government the taxes due to the local government.

Jasareno said a recent aerial survey and ocular inspection of the mine sites showed “lapses” on the part of the firm’s compliance with environmental and health hazard laws.