Antique Draws a Line in the Sand: United Voices Demand 50-Year Mining Moratorium to Protect Fragile Ecosystems

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A storm is brewing in the heart of Western Visayas—not of wind and rain, but of impassioned resistance. In the province of Antique, where lush mountains cradle the hopes of generations, a fierce battle is now underway between the people and powerful extractive interests.

The flashpoint? A government-backed proposal by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) to declare more than 3,700 hectares of upland terrain as a mineral reservation zone—a move local residents fear is the first salvo toward large-scale mining operations. But in this land of cascading waterfalls, sacred rivers, and ancestral soil, the people are rising.

On Wednesday, May 28, the Amlig Antique Alliance, a formidable coalition of religious leaders, environmental advocates, and civil society organizations, filed a sweeping petition before the Antique Provincial Board. Their demand is bold and unwavering: a 50-year moratorium on all mining activities in the province. Not ten. Not twenty. Fifty.

United by Faith and Earth

The petition is more than paperwork—it is a clarion call of resistance. Spearheaded by Bishop Marvyn Maceda of the Roman Catholic Diocese and Bishop Leon Estrella of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente, the alliance brings together more than 40 sectoral leaders, predominantly from faith-based communities.

Their message is clear: the mountains of Antique are not commodities to be carved, blasted, and sold to the highest bidder—they are living ecosystems that nourish the island’s soul and its survival. From the peaks of San Remigio to the forests of Sibalom, from the ancestral lands of Valderrama to the farming terraces of Patnongon, these areas are lifelines for communities, biodiversity, and future generations.

The alliance's petition rejects not only the proposed mineral reservation but also calls for an immediate ban on all mining permits and agreements. At stake, they say, is nothing less than the integrity of Antique’s land, water, and people.

A Province Under Siege

The looming threat is real and staggering: over 53,000 hectares across Antique are under 20 pending mining applications. Beneath the province's soil lie rich deposits of copper, gold, silver, and chromite—an irresistible lure for industry, but a death knell for sustainability.

The MGB argues these resources can unlock economic progress. But the people remember. They remember Typhoon Frank (Fengshen) in 2008, which unleashed P7.2 million in damage, tearing through communities and infrastructure. They remember Severe Tropical Storm Paeng (Nalgae) in 2022, which shattered five vital bridges and severed road links between the province’s north and south.

Science backs their fears. The MGB’s own landslide and flood susceptibility maps mark most of Antique’s towns as high-risk zones, a fragile terrain of steep slopes, unstable geology, and vulnerable watersheds.

“Mining will not bring resilience,” the alliance warns in their petition. “It will bring ruin.”

They argue that opening the land to excavation would accelerate erosion, trigger sedimentation in rivers, and undermine watershed systems that protect communities from flood and drought alike.

A Battle Fought Amid Political Paralysis

Compounding the urgency is a political deadlock. Though Board Member Karmila Dimamay, chair of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan’s environment committee, vowed to begin hearings by June, progress may be stymied.

The provincial board remains crippled by a lack of quorum following the stunning suspension of eight members by the Office of the Ombudsman last March. Cited for grave abuse of authority, misconduct, and gross neglect of duty, the officials stand accused of derailing key public welfare projects by failing to act on the provincial budget.

While local governance falters, communities take matters into their own hands.

A Plea to a Son of the Soil

In a poignant appeal, the alliance is also calling upon the newly appointed Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)—a native of Sibalom, Antique—to take a stand for his roots.

“We appeal not just to your office, but to your conscience,” the statement reads. “Reject the mineral reservation. Defend the land that raised you.”

A Line Has Been Drawn

This is no ordinary protest. It is a spiritual stand. A cry for justice. A battle to preserve the living veins of a province that has suffered too long under the weight of disaster and neglect.

As the machinery of extraction eyes Antique's hills, a people bound by faith, heritage, and ecological wisdom have declared: Enough. Not here. Not now. Not for the next 50 years.

The mountains may be rich with ore, but the hearts of the Antiqueños are richer still—with courage, clarity, and the will to protect what is sacred. And in that truth lies the soul of their resistance.

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