Gina Lopez claims Medialdea countered her mining trust fund memo

Environment Secretary Regina Lopez on Wednesday claimed that Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea countered her memorandum order directing mining companies to set up a P2-million rehabilitation trust fund and allowed the miners to remove their stockpiles.

"I wanna help the farmers and Medialdea is saying, ‘No, you can continue to remove the stockpile'," Lopez told in an interview with reporters during a forum on biodiversity and mining at the DENR central office.

According to a Reuters report, Lopez issued a January 30 memorandum ordering suspended mining firms to place P2 million into a trust fund for every hectare of land disturbed "to further mitigate the adverse impacts of the mining operations to the environment and to the affected communities."

"I’m not asking it for me, I’m just saying that the farmers are disadvantaged out of the rehab zone. Sinong magaalaga sa kanila? Sana naman they give P2 million for every hectare of farmland out of the rehab zone, that’s social justice," Lopez said.

"Cabinet Secretary Medialdea has gone against my order for all the mining. What’s that all about? And, from what I see, he’s going against the very spirit of Duterte administration which is to help the poor," she added.

In February, Lopez ordered 23 mining operations closed and five others suspended.

Lopez said the suspended mining companies are still operating after filing an appeal with the Office of the President.

"While it’s on appeal, it’s still operational. It’s only the President that can make a decision. But, right now, he can’t decide because the paper doesn’t even go to his office. I’m not happy with this at all," she said.

Lopez said the appeal by mining companies have not yet reached President Rodrigo Duterte. But, she said, Medialdea has given a stay of execution that allowed mining firms to remove their stockpiles.

"I gave a letter (Trust Fund Memorandum) to all, he counteracted it all. He put a stay of execution to all the areas where I issued ... Don’t remove the stockpile unless you give money for the farmers. He stopped me, so now they’re removing the stockpile and I cannot stop them," Lopez said.

Lopez wants to have a face-to-face with Medialdea on the matter.

“I told him I [want to] meet him. And I told him you cannot do that. I don’t know what he’s thinking. You should use the laws which will help the people. You used the rule and law which will stop me from helping the farmers. Choose a law that will resound social justice,” she said.

“Why will you choose a law that will stop a mining company which is already earning so much money from giving money from the mining rehab? I don’t [want to] fight the mining industry. I just say give money to the farmers naman,” she added. — VDS, GMA News