In this opinion piece, parish priest Fr. Reynaldo D. Raluto, who leads the Integral Ecology Ministry of the Diocese of Malaybalay, shares his thoughts on the Cagayan de Oro River, one of the country’s largest river basins that had recently been the subject of distress calls due to urbanisation and other industrial activities.
I was privileged to have been asked by Archbishop Joe Cabantan to join him in a meeting with the members of the Provincial Mining Regulatory Board in Bukidnon.
Archbishop Joe was invited by the PMRB to its Board Meeting at the 2nd Floor Conference Room, Provincial Capitol, Malaybalay City, Bukidnon on July 10, 2025. As chairman of the Cagayan de Oro River Basin Management Council (CDORBMC), he was requested by PMRB to clarify some issues related to the CDORBMC Resolution No. 6 entitled “Requesting the Mines and Geosciences Bureau-X (MGB-X), Provincial Local Government Unit of Bukidnon, and City Government of Cagayan de Oro to impose a six-month moratorium on small-scale mining within the Cagayan de Oro River Basin.”
The PMRB is composed of five: the Regional Director of Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) as Chairman and the Provincial Governor as Vice Chairman. With them are three members: a Small-Scale Mining representative, a Large-Scale Mining representative, and a DENR-duly accredited environmental Non-Government Organization representative.
After listening to both sides, especially on the side of CDORBMC, it was decided that PMRB will coordinate with provincial LGU to take appropriate action to the said Resolution, especially in determining the right time to start the requested six-month moratorium. The granting of this moratorium will enable the CDORBMC technical team to conduct a scientific study of the water quality of the Cagayan de Oro River.
Why do we, people of Bukidnon and Cagayan de Oro people, have to be concerned with this river? The headwaters of the Cagayan de Oro River come from the Mount Kalatungan Range spread in three Bukidnon municipalities of Libona, Baungon, and Talakag. Thus, Cagayan de Oro River is a common good.
Moreover, both Bukidnon and Cagayan de Oro people are stakeholders of this river. When it is healthy and well-functioning as an ecosystem, all will benefit and enjoy its ecological services. But when this river is ecologically destroyed and exploited, all, especially the poor, will suffer from its consequences.
Let us protect the Mindanao rivers. Let’s hope that a 6-month moratorium will be imposed on small-scale mining within the Cagayan de Oro River Basin.
Fr. Reynaldo D. Raluto has been serving as parish priest of Jesus Nazareno Parish in Libona, Bukidnon since 2021 and has been leading the Integral Ecology Ministry of the Diocese of Malaybalay since 2022. From 2011 to 2021, he served as Academic Dean of St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Cagayan de Oro where he also teaches fundamental/systematic theology and Catholic social teaching. Among his ecological advocacies are growing Philippine native trees, mountain climbing, biking, and active participation in the cultural and ecological activities of the Indigenous People Apostolate of the Diocese.
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