Wildlife wipeout! Check out how William Gatchalian’s Altai Mining is destroying ‘Galapagos of Asia’

William Gatchalian

Using backhoes and other heavy equipment, the mining company owned by “Plastics King” William Gatchalian has turned a large portion of the island touted as the “Galapagos of Asia” from a resource-rich ecosystem into a barren wilderness.

Aerial shots provided to Bilyonaryo by Cot Catajay showed large swathes of Sibuyan Island have been denuded after APMC-owned equipment dug up the soil to extract minerals.

Sibuyan Island earned the moniker “Galapagos of Asia” since it hasn’t been connected to any part of the Philippine archipelago since its formation. It’s also known as one of the world’s most diverse and dense forests, with a study by the National Museum showing that there are 123 species of trees on the island. Out of this number, 54 cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

Residents of Sibuyan Island have protested against APMC’s mining activities and formed a barricade to prevent its trucks from transporting the alleged illegally mined resources that the company extracted.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) ordered Altai to stop operations for lack of an environmental permit, but only after locals got caught in a violent encounter with Romblon police that initially tried to defend the mining firm.