Different groups held a prayer rally in front of Gloria Public Market in Oriental Mindoro last Thursday, September 4. They gathered to say “no” to a big project called “river restoration through dredging.” They believe this project is actually a cover for black sand mining.
The protest included fishers, environmental groups, local leaders, and residents from nearby towns. They are all worried about the project.
The area of Barangay Balete in Gloria was approved for this dredging. However, the provincial governor, Humerlito “Bonz” Dolor, recently paused his own order that would have let the project start. The companies involved must now wait.
On the same day as the protest, the governor was also in Gloria for a different event. This made the day feel tense because the dredging issue is very emotional for people.
The protesters explained that dredging means digging up the sand and minerals from the ocean floor. They say this destroys the coast, kills mangroves, and harms the sea life that fish need to live. This means fishers will catch fewer fish.
They urged people to speak up and fight for their rights, jobs, and safety. They claim the dredging is really about mining black sand (called magnetite), which is valuable and used to make steel and cosmetics. People at the rally chanted, “No to Bonz” and asked for the governor to resign.
They also shared a concern: a Chinese company is taking sand from Gloria’s shore and selling it for a very low price to be used for a new airport project. They wonder why the sand is so cheap and why it has to be sent so far away.
The protesters say the governor’s “river restoration” reason is just an excuse. They point out that the company’s ships are digging in the sea, not in the rivers. If the goal was really to help the rivers, the local government could do it with its own equipment.
According to the project plans, a huge amount of sand—over 38 million cubic meters—would be taken. Almost all of it (98%) would come from the shoreline, not the river.
Residents warn this will destroy their coast. They are afraid that without the sand to protect them, big waves will wash away the shore, trees, and houses. They say this has already happened in other places like Zambales and Cagayan.
Because of these worries, a local official named Atty. Manny Buenaventura is asking the Philippine Senate to investigate the dredging project. He wants the Senate’s Blue Ribbon Committee, which looks into government problems, to see if anything wrong is happening.
He said, “If there is no problem, then there should be no fear of an investigation.”
