Gina Lopez' Conscience

Armed with her so-called “conscience,” Environment Secretary Gina Lopez reinterpreted RA 7942, the law regulating mining in the country, and ordered the closure of 23 mining operations. It was not just mere suspension, where fines and penalties are imposed. It was an absolute closure order which only the President can reverse.

In a single act, Gina Lopez has placed her conscience above science and the law and ruled that there should be no mining operations in any watershed in the country.

She referred to a “functional watershed” as a land category, yet such technical term does not even appear in forestry science.

She premised her edict on a principle that exceeds what is provided by law.

RA 7942 already bars mining operations within watersheds, as indicated in section 19. However, the law specifically defines that such prohibition will only exist within proclaimed watershed forest reserves, and not just any watershed. Not all watersheds in the country are proclaimed as watershed forest reserves.

Click on above image to read Antonio P. Contreras' full article for the Manila Times.