Carasi bans extraction of its decorative stones

Decorative stones are abundant in Carasi's Cura River and at the foot of the elevated mountain.(Lei Adriano)

By Leilanie G. Adriano

Staff Reporter

Carasi, Ilocos Norte—This mineral-rich town, some 30 kilometers northwest of Laoag City has banned the collection and transport of gigantic living stones abundant along its crystal clear river banks here.

Carasi is the least populated area in Ilocos Norte with over 214 households or about 2,000 local residents dominated by Isneg.

Carasi Mayor Rene Gaspar of said some Korean nationals have been transporting these precious stones to Korea as in previous years, the former administration of then Carasi Mayor Joy Carte Fernandez allowed their application for quarry permit to extract decorative stones at the foot of the mountain along the Cura River.

However, with continued extraction, some local residents here expressed dismay, these natural resources unique in Carasi town may just benefit only a few individuals and if left unregulated, this may further threaten the environment when these living stones are no longer there to maintain ecological balance.

According to the new local chief executive here, the municipality’s share in quarrying fees and other permits quarry operators pay in order to extract boulders, particularly those precious decorative stones exported abroad does not commensurate the value they get from it.

“The quarrying fees being collected by the municipality is too small we cannot just allow them to take home our precious stones,” said Gaspar citing the stones were there as treasures of Carasi.

The quarrying industry in Ilocos Norte is one of the top local revenue sources of the province where the municipality and barangay have at least 30 and 40 percent share from the collection of extraction fees pegged at about P60,000 per 2,000 cubic meter for boulders and at least P36,000 per 2,000 cubic meter for sand and gravel. The remaining 30 percent share goes to the provincial treasury office. Aside from extraction fee, others fees such as filing fee, mines recovery fund and field verification fee amounting to at least P10,000 depending on the volume being applied for are also being collected by the treasury.

During the previous administration, then Mayor Fernandez has allowed the extraction of decorative living stones in Carasi town as these were just scattered all over the place particularly along the mainstream lowlands at the foot of elevated mountains.

Based on the Ilocos Norte government website, mining which include both small and large-scale mining ranks second next to eco-tourism and alternative energies such as wind power, solar energy and bio fuel as investment potentials, the administration of Governor Ma. Imelda “Imee” R. Marcos is giving special incentives for investors along this line who may be interested to invest in Ilocos Norte.  

In December last year, members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan however passed a new ordinance and amended the 2013 revenue code to increase the collection of fees and other taxes and charges on all government services and properties by 10 percent.

For Koreans, having decorative stones in their homes is a status symbol—the more and larger decorative stones you have, the more you are blessed, Gaspar said hence the demand for these precious stones is high.

“Our decorative stones are world-class. It is a natural wealth we can truly be proud of. It can also be a tourist attraction so the extraction must be properly regulated,” said April Joy Lumabao, a native of Carasi town.

Ironically, Carasi town is host to a large-scale multi-national mining company—the Rigid Aggregates and Mining Corporation, the government granted a Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) and exploration permit for over 2,926 hectares in Carasi and its neighboring Piddig town.

In 2005, the same company, with several Korean nationals as investors, has applied for a 30-hectare small-scale mining in Barangay Birbira, Carasi, Ilocos Norte, which the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), through then Governor and now Senator Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has granted a permit to operate for two years, and which is renewable depending on the company’s compliance to environment laws and regulations.

During that period, a number of local residents welcomed the development as several jobless residents here were given jobs, enabling them to buy motorcycles for personal use while several dirt roads also improved apparently due to the mining operation.

However, some indigenous people in this town have expressed fears that the mining expansion may pose a great threat to their locality, specifically their farmlands that are located near the mining site.

In their cautious stand, the indigenous people want the company to specify the location map application to ensure that no valuable part of their 157,010 hectares of land domain will not be affected.