A group of environmentalists on Friday accused China of using the Philippines’ earth materials in reclamation and infrastructure projects in the disputed West Philippine Sea.
At a virtual media conference, Villardo Abueme, Homonhon Environmental Rescuers Organization (HERO) president, said China is using earth materials sourced from dredging and mining activities in different parts of the country are reportedly being used in the reclamation and infrastructure projects of China off Spratly Islands in the West Philippine Sea.
He cited the unabated dredging, extraction of sand and filling materials from as far as Cagayan to McArthur, Leyte in the Visayas that continue to destroy the country’s natural resources.
“It is very environmentally destructive, unsustainable and deprived local contractors from quality and affordable sand, gravel, aggregates and filling materials,” Abuema said.
“This is actually worse than invasion. Literally they are taking Philippine soil out of the country, leaving poor villages, mostly farm communities to pay for the environmental backlash brought by the unsustainable and very destructive extractive activity,” he added.
According to HERO, “pillagers of environment” are operating in the Davao region, Central Mindanao, Northern Luzon, and other areas in the Visayas.
Abueme urged Senator Risa Hontiveros to investigate and stop the destructive trade.
Camilo de Guzman, KALikha University of the Philippines-Diliman chairperson, asserted that “the West Philippine Sea is ours.”
“And no aggression from China can say otherwise. We are not for sale, and we will not watch silently while our fisher folks are being driven out of their fishing grounds further into poverty and hunger, especially during a pandemic,” he said.
Amid China’s aggression in the West Philippine Sea and intrusion of Chinese vessels in the waters off the Julian Felipe Reef, KALikha UP Diliman is set to hold an online forum to discuss various forms of aggression and their implications on national sovereignty.
“The forum aims to give light to the situations that Filipinos depending on the resources in the West Philippine Sea are facing. Worrying about our fisherfolks and the national sovereignty are valid and pressing issues, but we also have to remember the long-term environmental damage that China is causing in our territories,” said Amber Quiban, KAlikha’s national campaign and advocacies officer.
“We cannot allow China to continuously build these islands over reefs because these will result to loss of habitat for a lot of marine wildlife and the loss of sources of food and livelihood for many Filipinos. These activities have a serious impact on our marine ecosystem. We are already facing a massive environmental crisis,” De Guzman said.