CANTILAN, Surigao del Sur – This town’s local government approved a “resolution of no objection” to a mining firm’s application for a special tree-cutting and earth-balling permit just five days after residents rejected the proposal at a public hearing. 

Dated July 27, 2026, the resolution stated that the Sangguniang Bayan found it appropriate to grant the request, provided that Marcventures Mining and Development Corporation (MMDC) secures all required permits and clearances before beginning work. 

The resolution is required for MMDC to apply for a permit from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), covering the cutting of trees across 47.10 hectares in barangay Cabangahan in preparation for its 2027 mining operations.

Following an endorsement from Mayor Philip Pichay’s office, environment committee chair Jimbo Luarez moved for its approval which was unanimously seconded by the Sanggunian members. 

‘Disappointing’

In a virtual interview, Cantilan Water District Vicente Chair Cirilo Iriberri called the decision disappointing, stressing that the public hearing appeared to have been held merely for compliance. 

The Water District opposed the resolution and campaigned for the protection of the Carac-an watershed, a critical source of clean water for the municipality. MMDC also operates within the watershed.

Iriberrii said that cutting hectares of trees can dry up water sources and worsen flooding. “During the rainy season turbidity levels can shoot up to 1,000 Nephelometric Turbidity Units, far beyond our 500 limit. We have no choice but to wait for it to subside.”

In a statement, the Cantilan Water District warned that the ongoing threats of El Niño must be a concern among the Sangguniang members. 

The resolution recognizes the need to protect water sources through prohibiting tree-cutting and earth-balling within 20 meters of either side of any body of water within or adjacent to the project area. However, it does not mention the watershed’s designation as a critical forest reserve or that MMDC’s permit expires in 2027. 

Bulatlat reached out to Vice Mayor Rodrigo Eleazar who presided over the public hearing through his official Facebook account but he has not yet replied.

Raymond Ambray, head of the ecology desk of the Diocese of Tandag, said that the province should prioritize agriculture, with rice farming and fishing as remaining key sources of livelihood. While he recognizes mining’s economic contributions, he said that it should not come at the expense of food security and environmental protection. 

Cantilan is considered the province’s rice?producing town. For resident and retired forester Agustin Andoy who witnessed how rice fields near their house turned red with silt, the contradiction is hard to reconcile. “Legality feels meaningless, especially when it legitimizes the destruction of the environment and only few benefits.”

During a June 23 municipality session, an MMDC representative acknowledged that of the 600 hectares disturbed by its mining operations, only 200 hectares were rehabilitated. (RTS, DAA)