The dolomite controversy

SUDDENLY, the word “dolomite” is on everyone’s lips because of the national government’s Manila Bay “beautification” project. When it became known that the crushed dolomite was from Cebu, Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia immediately issued a cease-and-desist order banning further extraction, processing and exportation of the mineral for the Manila Bay project.

The dolomite mine or quarry site in Alcoy, Cebu, from where the crushed dolomite came, is the biggest dolomite quarry site in the Philippines, according to Wikipedia. It has been in operation since the 1980s. The extraction, processing, hauling and transportation of the dolomite are covered by permits issued by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB). The Dolomite Mining Corp. (DMC) has a mineral production sharing agreement while the Philippine Mining Service Corp. (PMSC) has a mineral processing permit. The latter, a subsidiary of JFE Mineral Co. Ltd. of Japan, buys and processes all the mined dolomite. The primary applications of dolomite are “auxiliary materials for iron and steel, plate glass for construction materials, automotive glass, fertilizer and soil conditioner,” according to the JFE website. The particular dolomite from Cebu is used as raw material in the manufacture of steel, glass and fertilizer in Japan and Southeast Asia.