ZAMBOANGA CITY – Majority members of the city council here are undecided whether or not to allow a mining company to explore for mineral resources in the mountains of Ayala and nearby areas here already proposed for a watershed.

During a public hearing last Tuesday, the council’s Technical Working Group came up with its finding
that the area applied for by the mining company is within a proposed watershed area.

But officials of the mining firm claimed that the city council has earlier approved a resolution allowing them to explore for mineral deposits in the same area.

A senior official of the Mines and Geodetic Bureau admitted that the area has not been declared yet by the MGB as a watershed. The mining company can thus still apply and the MGB can still process the application and allow the exploration to pursue.

City councilors admitted that they allowed the exploration years ago because they believed that the place was outside the proposed watershed area.

The councilors said there was an error in the plotting of the area proposed to be covered by the mining exploration application.

It turned out that the area applied for is a proposed watershed that was already approved by the city council. Unfortunately, the mayor failed to issue an executive order declaring the area as part of the watershed area of Zamboanga City.