Philippines biodiversity hotspot pushes back on mining<br /><br />A nickel stockpile towers over farmer Moharen Tambiling's rice paddy in the Philippines' Palawan, evidence of a mining boom that locals hope a new moratorium will tame.<br />"If mining operations here do not stop, the soil quality here will deteriorate, until the land's already unusable and crops can no longer grow," Tambiling tells Agence France-Presse.<br />Despite promised jobs and tax revenue, there is growing pushback against the sector in Palawan. The island's governing council in March unanimously passed a 50-year moratorium on any new mining permits. <br /><br />AFP VIDEO<br /><br />Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe <br />Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net <br />Follow us: <br />Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook <br />Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram <br />Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter <br />DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion <br /><br />Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital <br /><br />Check out our Podcasts: <br />Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify <br />Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts <br />Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic <br />Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer<br />Stitcher: https://tmt.ph/stitcher <br />Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein <br />Soundcloud: https://tmt.ph/soundcloud <br /><br />#themanilatimes<br />#tmtnews<br />#worldnews
