Ceap calls on government to declare moratorium on mining

Thursday, January 19, 2012

THE Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (Ceap) and Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) called on government to declare a moratorium on mining activities in country pending review of RA 7942 or the Philippine Mining Act of 1995.

This developed as anti-mining advocates intensified their campaign against mining operations in the country with the staging of the 2012 International Conference on Mining in Mindanao at the Finster Hall of AdDU Jacinto campus on January 26 to 27. The two-day caucus is being organized by Ceap and AdDU.

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Fr. Joel E. Tabora, SJ., president of AdDU and chair of Ceap advocacy commission, viewed mining operations as harmful and destructive to the people and environment, and described RA 7942 as flawed and that it needs review.

He said the present law favors big companies and even foreigners who have the financial capability to invest in mining in the country to the consternation of the Filipino people.

"All of us have to be informed of our rights to mineral in this country. We have to learn how bad these laws are," Fr. Tabora said during the regular I-Speak forum at the City Hall conference room Thursday.

Tabora said the coming conference, which has "Mina para sa Nasudnong Interes sa Katawhang Pilipino" as its theme, aims to update participants on the present mining operations in Mindanao and its impacts "while strengthening the networking among people's organizations and NGOs doing work on mining and help ensure that continuing information and education activities on mining are sustained."

"Primarily, we thought of holding the conference to promote greater participation in dialogue and exchange among the peoples of Mindanao affected by mining. We want to understand the appropriations of mining in Mindanao both large scale and small scale," Fr. Tabora said in a statement.

The symposium sessions will focus on the issues of "Business and Economics of Mining, Envriomental Impacts, Human Rights, International Standards and State of Play in the Philippines." Organizers said the topics were carefully picked to reflect the realities in Mindanao.

The speakers for the conference include Catherine Coumans, Ph.D., research coordinator of MiningWatch Canada who has done extensive works on mining in the Philippines and on international framework on responsible mining.

Other speakers are Andrew Bauer, economic analyst for Revenue Watch Institute; Atty. Marivic Leomen, co-founder of the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center, Inc; Steve Blodgett, consultant on mining environmental issues; and former congresswoman Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel.

Fr. Tabora said the recent disaster in Pantukan, Compostela Valley, which claimed lives of many small-scale miners, was a grim reminder of how devastating mining operations can cause to human beings and environment.
This is the reason why the AdDU president is strongly opposing the Saggitarius Mines Incorporated's proposed US$5.9-billion Tampakan Mine Project in South Cotabato.

"Why the project must be opposed is due to the grave environmental damage the project will inflict on the concerned provinces, seriously affecting the life and long-term welfare of the affected communities," Fr. Tabora said.

Earlier, SMI's proposed project suffered a major blow after the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) denied its application for an environmental compliance certificate.

Ceap is a national association of Catholic educational institutions in the Philippines that was founded in 1941. Its 1,252 members include universities and colleges offering academic and continuing education program that are at par with foreign schools in the USA and Europe.

The Ateneo de Davao University is a premiere Filipino, Catholic and Jesuit university founded by the Philippine Province of the Society of Jesus in 1948.