Statement of the Eastern Visayas Ecumenical Forum on the fish kill in Lake Bito, Barangay Villa Imelda, MacArthur, Leyte
April 18, 2012

“I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruits and rich produce. But you came and defiled my land and you made my inheritance detestable” (Jeremiah 2:7)

The Eastern Visayas Ecumenical Forum (EVEF), an ecumenical alliance of various church denominations and individuals was saddened and alarmed by the fish kill incidence happened in Lake Bito of Barangay Villa Imelda, MacArthur Leyte. With this, we conducted an Environmental Investigative Mission (EIM) in partnership with the Center for Environmental Concern (CEC) in the affected areas last April 16-17, 2012 to come-up with an objective and scientific findings before making any preemptive pronouncements and baseless statements without having yet on our hand the results of the water and fish analysis, nor relying on previous studies conducted without validating it in the present context.

Based in our actual ocular investigation and on the data that we have gathered, through the interviews that we have conducted from the people of Barangay Imelda and neighboring barangays; and from the personnel of Nicua Mining Corporation, we find it necessary to issue this initial statement.

That, all the people we have interviewed had asserted that the fish kill was caused by the mining operation adjacent to the Lake Bito which greatly affects their livelihood as 90% of the residents of Villa Imelda depended on fishing as their source of living. This statement was blatantly disclaimed by the key personnel of the Nicua Mining Corporation by categorically stating that, their mining operation has nothing do with the fish kill in Lake Bito. To recall, this mining area was previously an agricultural land sustaining the source of living of the people of Pongon, the adjacent barangay of Villa Imelda, now occupied by the magnetite mining operation. These contending statements as to the cause of fish kill can soon be clarified as the results of the water and fish analysis of the samples we have taken from the lake is already available.

However, EVEF firmly maintains our stand against all activities which are destructive, unjust, that exacerbates poverty, causes dislocation of livelihood of the people, and even threatens the base of life and life itself.

We uphold our stand against corporate greed that deprives the poor people to partake the abundance of God’s creation which has been abused and monopolized by the few, more so, when it is rapaciously and wantonly exploited by foreign corporations at the expense of the suffering Filipino people.

PRESERVING AND PROTECTING THE INTEGRITY OF CREATION IS OUR BASIC TASK AS GOD’S PEOPLE!