Hundreds of Antiqueños gathered on February 11 to launch the AMLIG Antique Alliance against the planned mining in the province. They united after reports that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources will open to mining companies the 3,715 hectares of land covering 16 barangays in the mountainous parts of the towns of Patnongon, San Remigio, Valderamma and Sibalom, all in Antique.

The declaration of the DENR’s Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) that the said areas are “mining reservations” prompted the alliance’s formation. According to the alliance, although this does not authorize mining operations yet, it will eventually open the province to mining. The Antiqueños are not convinced by the MGB’s pitch about the supposed “advantages” of mining which it said wll be conducted in a “sustainable manner.”

They said that mining of any kind will damage the province’s critical resources, including watershed areas, and the biodiversity of the mountains. They fear that the mine will destroy the ecological balance in the Central Panay Mountain Range where the Sibalom Natural Park, a protected area, is located. It hosts many species of animals and plants endemic to the island of Panay. It is also a source of clean water and food for many residents of the province.

Worse, the identified mineral reservation are “high risk zones” or distinctly vulnerable to landslides and flooding, as shown by the MGB’s own studies. According to the alliance, strong typhoons in 2022 and 2008 have proven this vulnerability, causing widespread damage to the province. They said that flattening and destroying the natural terrain will worsen soil erosion, weaken slopes and destroy natural drainage systems. All areas in Antique are vulnerable to landslides and sudden floods because it is close to the sea, they said.

The alliance also condemned the MGB for its sham public hearings. They said it was a campaign for consent where the agency promoted the supposed benefits of mining, instead of an open dialogue with affected communities. They fear they will similarly suffer the other provinces’ ordeal where mining was forced through intensive militarization of communities. They are aware of the brutality of mining companies, colluding with state fascist armed forces, in places where residents firmly oppose it.

They call for the DENR to immediately withdraw the declaration of making Antique’s protected areas a mineral reservation and to defend the environment and their communities.