20/10/2003

Largely funded by the Japanese-owned Sumitomo Metals, Angara said, the metallurgical plant is designed to produce 10,000 dry metric tons of nickel to be recovered from lowgrade ore coming from Rio Tuba’s open pit mining activity.

According to the senator, its nickel output will be exported to Japan. However, a massive amount of sulfuric acid, a highly toxic chemical used to produce nickel will be imported from Japan at the rate of 270,000 metric tons annually or 5.4 million metric tons in 20 years, he said.

Angara revealed he is deeply concerned because the facility, to be built at a cost of $150 million, is already 70 percent finished.

“Everything about the project is wrong. Sumitomo and the Japanese government will be contributing to the environmental degradation of Palawan,” he reiterated.

Angara voiced his objections to the nickel processing plant during a special meeting of the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD), which was called to review the possible impact and dangers posed by the metallurgical facility.

Among those who attended the meeting were Senator Robert Jaworski, chairman of the Senate committee on environment, Palawan representatives Abraham Mitra and Vicente Sandoval (also chairman of PCSD), scientists, geologists, leaders of environmental groups and civil society based in Palawan and RTNMC representatives.

Angara enumerated the various uncalculated risks in the storage, delivery and use of sulfuric acid and other toxic chemical substances.

Dr. Romeo Quijano, a toxicologist from the UPPGH who had conducted studies on the impact mining disasters like Marcopper in Marinduque, said mine tailings like mercury, arsenic and cadmium turn to dust and may settle in the water system. He added that methanol, sulfuric acid and sulfur gas to be used in the operation of the processing plant are all deadly and killer substances.

According to Quijano, methanol can cause blindness when it enters the skin while hydrogen sulfide gas can cause respiratory paralysis and brain damage due to hyperventilation and that sulfuric acid can cause coughing, irritation of the eyes and respiratory tract as well as dental problems.

Angara warned that the project may also bring about destruction to Palawan’s environment. Part of the operation involves limestone quarrying on Mt. Gotok. Angara said this will wipe out oldgrowth forests, precious and endangered plants and animals, some of which are on the verge of extinction.

“Quarrying could also lead to the displacement of indigenous families living near the mountain who consider it sacred,” he added.

The solon has noted that the proposed 280-meter causeway to support the sulfuric acid pipeline of the project will be built right on top of live corals and that the causeway site is adjacent to a mangrove area, a seagrass bed and coral reef formation.

“Not only is the damage irreversible, but the impact on public health and the environment is far greater than the foreseen benefits of the plant, ” he stressed.

He pointed out that in its more than 20 years of operation, Rio Tuba Mining has an accumulated mine waste of 35 million metric tons, “which is enough to blanket Metro Manila with toxic mine waste.”

Scientists and leaders of Palawan-based environmental groups said they had “pointed out since day one the deadly hazards posed by the nickel processing facility but were ignored.”

Joselito Alisog, former head of the PCSD, revealed they even recommended certain conditions for the approval of firm’s ECC, “which were not included in the final environmental clearance for the project.”

Rio Tuba’s mining concession, which covers 5,265 hectares of land, is located in barangay Rio Tuba, Bataraza town.
 

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