KORONADAL CITY—The head of the Catholic Church in South Cotabato, where Southeast Asia’s largest known copper and gold reserve was located, assailed as “short-sighted” the decision of President Rodrigo Duterte to lift a moratorium on mining to help revive the economy.
Marbel Bishop Cerilo Casicas said Duterte’s Executive Order No. 130 weighed heavy on economic reasons but was short on concern for the environment.
“This is a short-sighted solution,” Casicas said.
“A healthy Earth is not an option, it is a necessity,” he said at a press conference to mark Earth Day on Thursday (April 22).
EO No. 130 lifted the nine-year ban on new mining contracts in the government’s bid to g…
Keep on reading: Lifting mining moratorium ‘short-sighted,’ says South Cotabato bishop