KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews / 18 February) – The Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) of South Cotabato is slated to conduct a hearing on the coal mining operation in remote Barangay Ned, Lake Sebu town on February 23, an official said.
Vice Governor Arthur Pingoy Jr., SP presiding officer, said they invited the companies granted with the coal operating contracts (COC) to provide updates and respond to concerns regarding their commercial coal mining extraction project there.
He added that officials of the Department of Energy (DOE) were also invited to attend the SP’s “question hour” amid the widening extraction of coal deposits in Ned, Lake Sebu’s largest village.
“What I observed is that many are shooting from the hips, meaning they talked about the coal mining without really knowing the issue or have not been there at all,” Pingoy said in mixed Ilonggo and English.
“I am not saying that I am anti- or pro-mining. My stand is let us be objective in this problem,” he added in a report aired by the Oblates-owned DXOM Radyo Bida Koronadal.
Daguma Agro Minerals Inc. (DAMI), Sultan Energy Philippines Corp. (SEPC), and Bonanza Energy Resources, Inc. (BERI) hold the COCs for the Ned coal mines granted by the DOE.
In 2010, San Miguel Corp., one of the largest conglomerates in the Philippines, bought the three companies that held mining rights for a combined 17,000 hectares (42,000 acres) in Ned and its surrounding areas, reported Mongabay, a US-based non-profit conservation and environmental science news platform.
Eleven years later, in December 2021, San Miguel CEO Ramon S. Ang sought the endorsement of the provincial government to begin strip mining in the Ned concessions. By the last quarter of 2022, the project had roared into commercial production.
In separate disclosures to the Philippines’ Securities and Exchange Commission in 2024, San Miguel revealed the sale of DAMI, SEPC and BERI to an undisclosed third party.
“On December 21, 2022, SPI entered into a Share Purchase Agreement with a third party for the sale of its 100% equity interests in DAMI, BERI and SEPC … which was fully paid as at December 31, 2023,” San Miguel said in an offer supplement dated April 22, 2024.
Bishop Cerilo Casicas of the Diocese of Marbel, which continues to vehemently oppose the coal mining project, disputed that strip mining is the method being used to extract the coal deposits in Ned.
“How can that be strip mining when the company dug a pit?” he said. “Anywhere you look at it, that’s open-pit mining which is a violation of the provincial ordinance.”
South Cotabato province has banned the open-pit mining method under its Environment Code approved in 2010.
Since December 2022, at least three mountainous slopes have reportedly been lost due to the coal mining project in Ned. Coal from the mine is loaded onto heavy trucks that damage public roads, cause noise pollution, and leave coal dust pollution behind them. Community members have complained to authorities and the mine operator about the inconveniences and safety and health risks brought by coal mining, while Indigenous residents say they worry about encroachment on their ancestral lands.
Based on DOE data in September last year, DAMI extracted at least 2,159,380 metric tons (MT) of coal deposits while SEPC produced 168,424 MT since 2023, or a total of 2,327,801 MT.
Rene Pamplona, founder of the South Cotabato-based Convergence of Initiatives for Environmental Justice, Inc., said he would attend Monday’s hearing which is open to the public.
He noted the coal mining project worsens climate change, whose impact is affecting the environment and agriculture in the area.
Pamplona scored the “Climate Hero” award given by the Climate Change Commission to South Cotabato Gov. Reynaldo Tamayo Jr., citing the negative impact of coal mining to climate change.
In its recognition, the commission praised Tamayo “for his contribution to environmental stewardship, sustainability, and community-driven climate action, noting that he was chosen as a Climate Hero for his efforts in advancing resilience, sustainability, and climate justice at the local level,” the Provincial Information Office said in a November 2025 report.
Pamplona also questioned why the provincial and local governments do not assert their rights over the projects approved by the national government, such as the coal mining in Ned. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)
