TACLOBAN CITY — Residents and farmers in this Leyte town are accusing regional mining regulators of manipulating public consultations to favor a black sand mining operation that has sparked months of local protests.

Jesus Cabias, chairperson of the anti-mining group Unahin Natin Lagi ang Diyos (UNLAD), criticized the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) Regional Office 8, claiming the agency has abandoned its regulatory role.

"The MGB is not only acting as a spokesperson but also lawyering for the mining company instead of listening to our demands," Cabias said following a multi-stakeholder dialogue on 29 April.

The dispute centers on a massive cutter suction dredger (CSD), the MV Li Long. The Chinese-flagged vessel has been stuck on a national highway since February, when residents blocked its path to the mining site in Barangay Maya.

While the MacArthur Iron Project Corp. (MIPC) pledged to withdraw the equipment to maintain "harmony," the dredger has remained stationary for over two months.

Cabias alleged that the MGB organized the recent dialogue to bypass community opposition. He claimed the bureau brought in a large crowd of pro-mining supporters and forced a vote on the dredger's removal at the end of the session, after many original participants had already left.

"We deeply resent the lack of sincerity of MGB," Cabias said. "The dredger must be removed, and the mining operations must stop."