Resumption of black sand mining in Leyte town stirs up debate

TACLOBAN CITY, LEYTE, Philippines — The village chief of a small farming community defended black sand mining as its resumption in MacArthur town of Leyte, stirred heated debate among villagers. For 61-year-old Pepito Guimalan, chairperson of Barangay Maya in MacArthur town, mining is not just an environmental issue—it is livelihood. “Mining activity is not totally bad,” Guimalan said in