SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique – The municipal council of Sibalom in Antique opposed the proposed mineral reservation in the province to protect its watershed and natural park.

Sibalom Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Officer (MENRO) Rodel Esler, in an interview on Tuesday, said the council on Feb. 5, passed Resolution No. 16-2025 strongly opposing the proposal of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (MGB-DENR) to declare a portion of the upland areas in the municipality as a mineral reserve.

A copy of the resolution, furnished to the Antique provincial board during their regular session on Monday, will support the body’s resolution for submission to the Office of the President requesting the permanent exclusion of the province from the proposed mineral reservation declaration.

“Protecting the Sibalom River Watershed from mining is necessary for it provides water not only to the farmers in Sibalom, but also in the neighboring towns of San Remigio, and Belison in Antique and the towns of Miag-ao and San Joaquin in Iloilo province,” Esler said.

He also said the preservation and conservation of the Sibalom Natural Park (SNP) is necessary because it is home to endangered flora and fauna, such as the world’s largest flower Rafflesia speciosa, and the Visayan Spotted Deer.

“Sibalom Municipal Mayor Gian Carlo Occeña is so concerned about the contamination of the Sibalom River Watershed, which provides potable water and irrigation for farming communities, and the disturbance at the SNP, if ever mining pushes through, that he requested the municipal council to pass the resolution,” Esler said.

Representatives of the MGB Regional Office in Western Visayas appeared before the Antique provincial board public hearing on Feb. 4 and identified a total of 3,715 hectares in the towns of Sibalom, San Remigio, and Patnongon as their proposed mineral reservation in Antique because of their copper, gold, and chromite deposits.

Amlig, a group of religious leaders, lawyers, and concerned residents of Antique, also attended the public hearing at the Antique Legislative Building to express their opposition to mining. (PNA)