The Diocese of Virac has called for a moratorium on all proposed and ongoing mining activities in Catanduanes, citing potential serious risks to environment and public safety that need to undergo independent assessment, transparent public consultation, and full legal compliance.

In a pastoral letter issued last Oct. 14, 2026, Bishop Luisito A. Occiano expressed alarm on the proposed coal mining and the assurance that only five hectares will be mined.

“Five hectares may seem small on paper, but mining damage is not measured by size alone. Where is it located? How will it affect groundwater, rivers, farms, and homes? How will waste be handled?” the letter read during Masses in all churches on the island asked.

Mining, if poorly assessed and poorly regulated, can poison water, destroy farmlands, cause erosion, floods, and landslides, and ruin habitats, the bishop stated, adding that its effects do not stop at the line on a map.

“We therefore demand a transparent, independent, and comprehensive environmental assessment, with genuine participation of affected communities. No economic promise can justify risking human life and irreversible damage to our island,” he stressed.

The diocese appealed to the government to put the common good first, ensure honest assessments, truthful information, meaningful consultations, and strict enforcement of the law.

Likewise, it asked mining proponents to look beyond profit, respect community rights and the limits of the fragile island.

In making the call, Msgr. Occiano urged the people to be vigilant, informed and united as he reiterated that the Church stands with farmers, fisherfolk and workers.

“Your life and dignity are more valuable than minerals beneath the soil,” he said.

Expressing grief at the reported death in gold mining areas, the bishop admitted that poverty pushes or leads many to mining but insisted that whether legal or illegal, mining that endangers life and dignity is unacceptable.

Calling on the government to investigate mining-related deaths, enforce safety and environmental laws, and punish violators, the leader of the 260,000 Catholics on the island pushed for the protection of miners and for decent, sustainable livelihoods for them.

“The Church is not against development. We need development that serves people, not people serving profit,” the letter emphasized. “We cannot support destructive mining that puts human life, the common good, and the integrity of creation at serious and unacceptable risk.”

Five days earlier, Governor Patrick Alain T. Azanza fired off a letter to Secretary Sharon S. Garin of the Department of Energy (DOE) requesting verification of the alleged Small-Scale Coal Mining Permit No. SSCMP No. 2026-001 issued to Adelbert Z. Almario covering a five-hectare area in barangay Obi, Caramoran.

He likewise sought clarification on its legal basis, citing Republic Act 11038 or the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System (ENIPAS) Act of 2018 which prohibits mineral exploration or extraction and commercial or large-scale quarrying within protected areas.

The governor also said that Provincial Ordinance No. 006-2023 declared the province of Catanduanes as a mining-free zone and prohibited mining operations within its territorial jurisdiction except for quarrying of gravel and sand.

The DOE permit issued on Sept. 24, 2026 by OIC Director Demujin Antiporda allows Almario to conduct small-scale coal mining operations for two years at an annual production rate of 9,000 metric tons and to sell all the coal produced to any authorized buyer or end-user.

In return, the permittee is obligated to pay the DOE the required government share of three (3%) percent of the gross sales of the coal production.

At about the reported P6,000 per metric ton buying price of coal in the country, the production at the Obi mining site could be worth an estimated P108 million, with the DOE getting only P3.2 million as share.

Last Monday, Oct. 19, OIC-Provincial Environment and Natural Resourced Officer Atty. Vivian D. Escoto was scheduled to meet with Almario and Obi barangay captain Leoncio N. Zuniega Jr. on the proposed mining operation within the barangay.

The DENR official reportedly informed that the mining area is within timberland and its utilization required an appropriate tenurial instrument or land title, which Almario has yet to present.

Based on coordinates provided in the permit, the proposed site sits at an elevation of 310 meters and is approximately 1.2 kilometers south-southwest of Obi, Caramoran and 2.8 kilometers east-northeast of Cabungahan, San Andres.

It is likewise 2.8 kilometers roughly north of Sitio Macacao where seven illegal gold miners were arrested by the authorities recently.

A site inspection conducted by Cabungahan barangay officials and representatives of the Municipal Planning and Development Office (MPDO) noted clearing activities along the trail possibly in preparation for the construction of an access road to the site.

Barangay captain Christian Bendecio, who expressed his stringent opposition to any mining activity within the barangay, said that the clearing activity has now reached about three kilometers, passing through two mountains.

The actual location of the proposed mining site was one of the key issues discussed during a dialogue conducted by the Caritas Virac Justice & Peace, Inc. together with residents and barangay council of Obi, officials of the Caramoran municipal government, the local police and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) last week.

It was suggested that the San Andres and Caramoran LGUs, together with DENR, conduct geotagging of the site to determine its exact location or whether it is really within Obi or its neighboring barangay in San Andres.

The dialogue also turned up inconsistencies in the documents presented by the Obi barangay council, including the fact that only PB Zuniega was aware of the barangay resolution of no objection required by the DOE for the issuance of the permit.

Also questioned by participants were the lack of available records on the council session and public hearing on the matter before the resolution was issued.