MANILA, Philippines – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s choice of Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) director Horacio Ramos as environment secretary was “bad feng shui” for the environmental situation in the country, advocates said Friday.
“We were in aghast to know that the longtime MGB director Horacio Ramos is now the DENR secretary. His appointment as DENR Secretary is a ‘bad fung shui’ or bad omen to the current unhealthy state of the Philippine environment,” said Jaybee Garganera, national coordinator of the Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM), an advocacy group composed of 80 organizations.
“We fear that Ramos, as an appointee of [Arroyo], will pursue the crime of irrational exploitation of our natural resources and turn a blind eye and deaf ears to the legitimate resistance of mining affected communities and environmental groups,” said Garganera.
“This appointment of Horacio Ramos as DENR secretary has great implications on the direction of the DENR,” said Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center executive director Judy Pasimio.
Father Edu Gariguez, Alyansa Laban sa Mina (Alamin) spokesman, also alleged that Ramos was in connivance with a Norwegian mining firm to pursue a project that has been greatly opposed by the local government in Mindoro.
“How can a mining lover like Horacio Ramos lead in saving our environment from total destruction? Ramos has worked in connivance with Norwegian-based Intex Resources to pursue the nickel project strongly opposed by local government officials, Mangyan indigenous groups, Catholic Church leaders and residents of Mindoro,” Gariguez said.
Gariguez was among those who went on hunger strike in protest of the Mindoro Nickel project last year.
Blas Tabaranza, executive director of the environmental group Haribon said, “We are dismayed at his appointment as this threatens our conservation efforts but we hope that the appointment of Horacio Ramos will still keep the dialogue between civil society organizations and DENR open.”
From the Diocese of Tandag in Surigao del Sur, Sister Lydia Lascano from the Social Action Center expressed her dismay. “The appointment of Horacio Ramos is unfortunate. It dashed to the ground all my hopes for the protection and preservation of the environment and natural resources in the Philippines,” she said.
