More than 150 residents of Rapu-Rapu arrived in Legazpi City today. After taking the morning boat trip from the island, they proceeded towards the Provincial Capitol marching through Rizal St., the city's main thoroughfare. They were joined by activists, environmentalists and religious groups, notably, the Redemptorists and the Society of Our Lady of the Trinity (SOLT).
The group pitched camp in front of the capitol to lay claim to what they dubbed as "Kampo ng Bayan". They held speeches and posted streamers expressing the purpose of the gathering: to demand the closure of the Lafayette mine, and kick out the mining firm from the island. Their representatives sat on the gallery of the Provincial Board which held a regular session earlier today. Their advocacy though was not included in the agenda of the meeting.
A public hearing on the fish kill initiated by Committee on Environment Chair Celso Aytona is scheduled on Friday. But after going through 2 postponements already, Rapu-Rapu folks and environmentalists are wary of putting too much hope that the hearing would push through as re-scheduled.
It rained hard starting late afternoon, and though exhausted by the morning's activities, they were still in high spirits. Bishop Quiambao, Apostolic Administrator of Legazpi, came for a quick visit in the afternoon. A longer dialogue with him was set the next day.
The provincial government was gracious enough to grant them permit for the use of the park in front of the capitol and lend them two large tents for their lodging and meeting place. When the rain got too heavy in the evening, making the ground inside the tent too damp for sleeping, Provincial Administrator Leroy Berces allowed them to use the lobby of the capitol as lodging for the night.
The Kampo ng Bayan is expected to last until 12 December 2008. Several activities are lined up for the following days, including a march and rally in front of the offices of the DENR-EMB and BFAR.
No comments:
Post a Comment