SOUTH COTABATO, Philippines — On a sunny Wednesday in August, police officer Loreto Malon and a subordinate were riding their motorcycles in the mountain mining village of Ned on their way to the lowlands when a speeding haul truck loaded with coal nearly hit and killed them. “We could have been crushed if we did not swerve to the shoulder of the road to avoid the hauler truck,” Malon said, mouthing expletives. For more than a year, 10- and 12-wheel heavy haul trucks with payloads up to 35 metric tons have become a regular fixture in the once sleepy village of Ned. In the first quarter of 2022, the San Miguel Corporation, one of the largest and most diversified conglomerates in the Philippines, began preparatory work for a coal mine in the village. This was despite opposition from the local Catholic Church as well as environmental and tribal groups, who cited concerns about risks to the environment and to lowland farms that rely on the upland watersheds for irrigation. Since work began, complaints against the venture have started to ring out loud in the village, particularly about the noise from the heavy trucks going at all hours. Heavy hauler trucks ply the road of Ned, with the one on the right loaded with coal going towards Maitum town. These trucks damage the road and have caused motorcycle accidents. Image by Bong S. Sarmiento. With a population of 18,500 and a land area of 41,247 hectares (101,924 acres), coal-rich Ned is…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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