Didipio villagers appeal SC ruling on Mining Act

The Death Penalty Law and the Mining Act are both deadly.Both must be repealed.

The Death Penalty Law is debated on ethical, moral, philosophical and other grounds but the Mining Act’s deadly and devastating effects on communities for generations are very real and actual — a whole-sale death sentence on Filipinoss that is carried out each day theses mines operate.

Repeal the Mining Act! Ban the openning of new mining sites! Stop the pillage of our patrimony!

Save the lives of Filipinos, save the children, save our future from traitors and predators !!! Ibasura ang Mining Act !! Now Na!!

Interest and opposition to mining activities are being pushed quite aggressively now that a number of high grade, sustainable and profitable mining sites have been identified and about to be explored. At pre-exploration stage, people just watch with amazement what’s happening. Now some sectors say, no to foreign mining, now the environment, the effect to the indigenous people, etc. etc. In the past, when the vast rich forest have been raped by greedy loggers (who are more likely locals or Filipinos), people were helpless. The indigenous or tribes people were affected by the lost of their habitat. The deforestation of the forest was an act that was basically Filipinos (correct me if I’m wrong) and buyers likely from overseas. The argument that participation of foreigners in the mining industry is not a legitimate concern, as profit really needs to be there in order to attract investment. Both local and foreign companies could inappropriately commit devastation due to accidents or poor construction or mining practices such as in the cases of Marcopper and Rapu Rapu. There is no guarantee that there would be no accident, as this part of the risks involved in the industry. Strict mining procedures, however, need to be sustained. The cash strapped Filipino investors could not muster enough capital to indulged in an almost $100 million investment at Didipio. We’re talking of big sum of money here. Without profit, which company will even think of investing? Nothing is freely given, even in aid assistance where counterpart funding is required from recipient government. The questions of “public benefits” vis-a-vis “public doman”, etc. are not any important because the legality of the Mining Act of 1995 has been already been made into law. The Act, I pressumed, once and for all laid to rest issues such as mining claims, counter claims, access, indigenous rights, usage, eminent domain, public or private ownership, etc.

The mining industry in the Philippines has been languishing or in dormancy for at least 30 years now because no companies, especially foreign-owned would dare enter into the country because the risks involved were so huge that investment would need to be abandoned or not even considered. A number of countries which were investment-friendly, opened up their resources for exploration (some people of course would say “exploitation”) are now immensely benefitting from the heavy demands of their minerals. Dependence to mining is not the end by itself. As far as I know, Malaysia started with mining tin, abandoned the same once they have enough capital to invest in industrial endeavor or because it becomes uneconomical. A number of pressure groups are against foreign-companies but mind you other foreign companies who are of Asian origin and knows how to “silence critics or make the critics a bit happier” through various means are never in the spotlight. Foreign mining firms who will do the right thing and who will not do the way to “silence critics” would definitely be in the spotlight all the time.

The mining company at Didipio is already in the advanced stage of raising the capital to start the plant and begin the mining activities. It has already spent huge sum of money in the pre-exploration and exploration stage, been harassed and an explorer killed while surveying the area. Despite not having assurance of finality prior to the approval of the Mining Bill of 1995, has continued to spend some amount in the community development, modest this could be.

In retrospect, I think those pressure groups’ ideals would not be in vain because mining companies, especially foreign-owned would be very mindful of their operations knowing that there exist pressure groups who would ensure that, although they may have lost their desire to repeal the Mining Act, would serve as watchgroups to ensure that only right thing would be done by these entities.

I think this is democracy at its peak and should be welcomed by all. Now after the government has finally decided and made inroads in addressing most, if not all of the concerns of the Filipino people, only moving forward, with sense of expectations, calibrated response are expected so that everyone watches each others back that the interests of the Filipino people are protected.

For centuries our land have provided for the basic human needs of generations of Filipinos and would have continued to sustain the next generations had it not been for our wanton disregard for the consequences of what is called ‘development’.

Our experience with mining should teach us not to be tempted by short term or personal gain while not considering the permanent losses ‘development’ would incur.

Mining has done more than enough damage than nature can sustain. It must be stopped, immediately, if we still have hope that, with our cooperation, nature will still recover to nurture us.

gentlemen: please forgive my ignorance to this, as to so many things;
maliban sa puno, ibon, magandang tanawin, watershed, at mga tao, ano ba meron dito sa Dipidio?

1. endangered species, meron ba?
2. anong minerals?

honest, di ko talaga alam…can somebody enlighten me, please?

Mayaman ang Pilipinas sa “natural resources”, lalo na sa minerals. Binigay sa’tin ng Diyos yan, natural lang na gamitin natin yan..at gamitin ng maayos. Nagiging masama lang ang epekto nito kung mababahiran ng pulitika (na naman!) . Marami nang lumalabas na makabagong teknolohiya sa pagmimina, sayang lang dahil hindi pinapayagan ng Philippine Constitution ang “Foreign Ownership” sa kagaya ng mining na makakapagbigay sana ng trabaho sa mga Pilipino. Importante rin na maresolba muna ang mga issues na makakaapekto sa kabuhayan ng mga naninirahan sa paligid ng minahan. Isa na rito ang Canatuan Polymetallic Mining Project ng TVI Pacific, a Canadian mining company na hindi kasing kontrobersyal ng Placer Dome at Climax Arimco. Pero ang balita , inutusan ng Cnadian Government ang Canadian Embassy sa Pilipinas na ‘wag suportahan ang TVI hangga’t may mga issues na hindi nareresolba.

“WORRIED ABOUT CANATUAN MINING PROJECT”

The Canadian parliamentary committee, which had unanimous support from sitting MPs, including members of the ruling Liberal party, is concerned about the impact of Canadian mining and other resource companies on the economic and social well-being of employees and local residents, as well as the environment in such countries as the Philippines, Columbia, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The committee also asked the Canadian embassy in the Philippines not to promote or publicly support TVI Pacific’s Canatuan mining project in Mindanao until specific allegations regarding the violation of indigenous and human rights and the environment have been fully investigated.

What happened there is not an atypical example of how Canadian mining companies have functioned in developing countries, says Catherine Coumans, research coordinator for Mining Watch Canada.

Although Philippine legislation prohibits development on land without the specific permission of indigenous peoples, the Calgary-based TVI was granted a permit by government officials to mine for gold on what is locally considered a sacred mountain in Canatuan.

Among the problems facing the indigenous Subanon and other residents in a community near the one-year-old mine is inadequate protection from the run-off of chemical comtaminants, which threaten both the fish in the local rivers and streams as well as the rice and fruit plantations, Coumans explains.

Furthermore, she adds, local residents have been turned back at various checkpoints manned by private security guards employed by TVI. The company is seeking to evict and relocate residents who are reluctant to leave their homes, she said. All of this is happening in an area where guerilla armies and bandits are operating and both ambushes and kidnapping have occurred.

“It has been pointed out by Amnesty International and others that companies should not operate in areas that require them to use military forces or excessive security in order to maintain their operations, as such conditions are prone to human rights abuses,” Coumans said.

i could sense in aus_phil comment, what is left unsaid; business commitments are commitments and should be honored, especially if the government is involved. otherwise, we further drive down our standing (or what is, left of it) in the int’l buss. community.

and in my friend, tongue-in , guarded exhortations,”… to wisely use God-given resources for our benefit..”

i will not contest them. in fact, i agree with you completely. however, let us put the ONUS, the burden of proof in the STATE to convince us, because Climax Arimco FTAA is something of a baptism of fire- a beginning of things, which we might not be able to forgive ourselves if things go awry.

i would like to submit that skew, or slant if you will,- should be on the side of PRUDENCE, and DOUBT rather than on optimism. here are 3 reasons:

1. Climax-Arimco (the proponent) is ‘awarded’ or given a stake and exploration rights covering an area of 37,000 hectares.

the sheer size alone should send us panicking (to me, at least). in terms of hectarage, it is MORE THAN HALF the size of Singapore !! what it is precisely that this company offers us, that they deserve so much blessings from the gods?

2. mode of mining operation is open-pit

questions begging to be answered:

a. this means, hills and mountains will not only be levelled, most likely to happen as what others previously did- excavations, that will surely affect surface and underground water levels. tributaries and brooks forms the streams, streams forms the larger streams and rivers which in turn, the watershed.
downstream, what happens to the communities dependent of the rivers for water supply? (potable and livelihood)
b. the faunas- will not only be dislocated, they will FOREVER depart us?
c. is there a plan at all, for land rehabilitation, plan for preservation and control of matters affecting geological disasters?

3. what are the targets? GOLD (lots of it) and Copper (high-grade). it is often said, that it takes millions of years for nature to form this 2 important metals.

questions, then:

a. how many years the proponent intend to exploit what nature had given us? a decade? two? or five? these metals we must remember, are NON-replenishable
after, what is next?
b. accdg. to proponent’s estimates: there are more than 5.8 million oz. of reserve deposits of gold, not counting the copper- does the Ramos-sponsored FTAA covers the ISSUE OF CONTROL over the total quantity of reserves exploitation? if yes, who controls then?
c. in refining the gold, which of the two poisonous substance will be used? MERCURY or CYANIDE? who will oversee the proper and safe disposal of these tailings, the DENR regional director?

Thanks a lot, Baycas, for your resourcefulness!

[…] Desama, composed of residents of Bgy. Didipio in Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya who are directly affected by the area of operations of the Australian mining firm’s FTAA, filed a motion for reconsideration last month to appeal the SC ruling. […]