In the last quarter of 2008, the townsfolk of Bagamanoc, a northern coastal town of Catanduanes, were delighted to learn that their place will be host to a fishing port. But the euphoria was short lived, little they know that it was a magnetite extraction mining soon to be operated in their area. Strong opposition from the Catholic church and locals forced the Taiwanese-led mining expedition to the nearby town of Panganiban and eventually the whole operation was scrapped when it was finally exposed by the media.
The YouTube playlist above was uploaded by a group of locals called " I Care Bagamanoc" in 2008. They presented it to ABS-CBN News, a leading news channel which covered the ongoing operation leading to the cancellation of the magnetite mining operation. Though, there was no formal investigation, but the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) and the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) denied having any knowledge or issuing a mining permit on the said company. Photos taken by an expedition team member of the Historical and Nautical Archaeology Foundation, Inc. (HNAF) and the National Museum searching for the shipwrecks of San Geronimo and Espiritu Santo, Spanish galleons believed to have sunk in Catanduanes in 1576. Locals mistook the search vessel as part of the magnetite extraction team and was forced to abort their search. |