______________

For comments and suggestions:

Email us at feedback@insidemindanao.com

or send us a message thru our MESSAGE TO THE EDITOR portion on our homepage

First Posted on Inside Mindanao (www.insidemindanao.com) on September 16, 2009

Large–scale mining feared to increase HR violations
& climate-related disasters
By Ellen Red

On the occasion of the World Economic Forum on Mining in Southeast Asia, slated Sept.15–17 in Manila, environmental groups expressed fears that the government's promotion of large–scale mining could only increase human rights violations and climate–related disasters.

Jaybee Garganera, Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM) national coordinator, said the forum "is an attempt to drumbeat the revitalization of the Philippine mining industry."

Garganera said, "President Arroyo's continued promotion of large–scale mining has introduced only increased human rights violations and vulnerability to climate–related disasters in mining–affected communities all over the country."

Based on official statistics, he said, mining jobs did not even increase by one percent and even the investments made are off the mark by 80 percent.

The national coordinator of ATM said that mining in the country only lead to thousands of lost and reduced livelihoods in farming, fishing tourism and others.

Garganera added that large–scale mining displaces indigenous peoples from their ancestral domains under Indigenous Peoples' Rights Act (IPRA); poses risks to protected areas and critical watersheds covered by the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS); directly impacts on irrigation and agriculture lands of farmers under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP); and will contaminate municipal waters and coastal areas, something that is condemned by the Fisheries Code.

Geoff Nettleton, coordinator of London–based Indigenous Peoples Links (PIPLINKS) said: "Although transnational mining companies claim to work to the highest international standards, time and again this has proved not to be the case, especially with regard to impacts on affected communities, and the failure to respect the legal requirement to gain Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), especially from affected Indigenous communities."

Mia Pepper of Friends of the Earth–Melbourne and coordinator of MAP–Oz (Mining Action Philippines—Australia) said: "Encouraging the entry of mining investments in this climate of financial uncertainty will only bring in companies to the Philippines with questionable reputation. There are already so many communities struggling to deal with the environmental impacts of mining in the Philippines, it would make more sense at this stage to create stronger safe guards to protect communities from mining companies rather than to create more opportunities for mining companies. This has the potential to create more social and cultural issues for local communities."

Sonya Maldar, Policy Analyst from the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) in London, said that "before any large–scale mining project is allowed to proceed, both the mining company and the Philippine government should ensure that genuine information and consent processes should be ensured."

Catherine Coumans, Research Coordinator of Mining Watch–Canada, based in Ottawa, Canada, said: "Unless the Philippine government legislates that mining companies must respect all human rights, and puts in place sanctions and remedies for non–compliance with binding human rights regulations, multi-national mining companies will continue to abuse human and indigenous rights in the Philippines with effective impunity."

Daphne Villanueva from Christian Aid said: "If there is a role for mining in the Philippines, it must be within a context of human rights and truly sustainable development."

END