By MELVIN PURZUELO
Green Forum-Western Visayas
ILOILO CITY. —It’s yes to “Cha-cha” and to mining for all three congressional candidates here.
In a debate aired on Bombo Radyo last Saturday, Iloilo City Rep. Raul Gonzalez Jr., Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas and former Iloilo City Mayor Mansueto Malabor were asked about Charter change, specifically the lifting of restrictive provisions on land ownership and mining.
Nacionalista Party candidate Treñas said while he would like the Constitution amended—a move that could lead to allowing foreign companies to own land and invest freely on mining activities in the country–he would make sure these privileges would be limited and that environmental safeguards are put in place.
Independent candidate Malabor and Gonzalez Jr. (Lakas-CMD), son of Chief Presidential Legal Counsel and former Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez, agreed to do the same. Gonzalez Jr. has been a staunch supporter of Charter change since he first sat in Congress in 2004.
Change in land use from forests to mines is one of the major causes of global warming, according to studies. Although there are no large-scale mining operations in the province, environmental groups reported “unregulated quarrying and excavations” along riverbanks. For the entire Panay island, only 18 percent remain of the forest cover.
In 1997, the provinces of Iloilo, Capiz and Aklan imposed a 25-year moratorium on mining on the island. According to the National Economic and Development Authority, the Philippine mining industry has a potential foreign exchange earnings of about $5 to 7 billion annually.
But just last February, anti-mining groups called for a moratorium on large-scale mining to mitigate the impact of El Niño, a phenomenon that has wrought dry spells affecting watersheds all over the country. The government has declared Iloilo as one of the provinces most vulnerable to El Niño.
To cope with El Niño and La Niña, all three candidates said they would continue the ongoing Iloilo flood control project. Gonzalez said he would build a desalination plant in La Paz District to combat the onslaught of droughts. Malabor said he would build deep wells to prevent salt water intrusion.
Treñas and Gonzalez mentioned the Jalaur River Dam Project as possible source of domestic and irrigation water. The National Irrigation Administration is proposing the construction of the dam in the towns of Calinog and Lambunao in Central Panay.
With global warming, more frequent and more intense floods are expected, environment groups said.
Treñas also said he would support one other change in the Constitution. “I would also propose changing the terms of elected officials from three to four years with only one reelection so that they would have more time to serve their constituents,” he said.
Malabor said he would only support Charter change through a convention. He added, however, that he would “remove corrupt officials first because it would be useless to change the Constitution without changing the people.”