Thursday, August 21, 2008 Mining firms causing indigenous people's worries
LA TRINIDAD, Benguet -- Large commercial mining operations of Lepanto, Philex and other large mines are still causing huge worries for Cordillera's indigenous peoples (IPs).
This is because large-scale mining, most of the times, are felt by IPs as "destructive" to the environment, their culture and societies.
This is a very common dissertation during discussion in the recent gathering of the newly formed Benguet Mining Alert and Action Network (Bmaan) where 156 representatives from the 13 towns in Benguet province came together to unite against large-scale mining while marking the International Indigenous Peoples Day on August 9.
Benguet Ibaloi Santos Mero of the Baguio-based Cordillera Peoples Alliance for the Defense of Ancestral Domain (CPA) claimed their worry is because 66 percent of the Cordillera region's land area is covered by various mining applications.
These are over the existing large mining operations of the 70-year-old Lepanto Consolidated Mining Corporation in Mankayan town and 50-year-old Philex Mines in Itogon town, both in Benguet province.
In recent years, affected residents in host towns of Lepanto and Philex have been at odds over allegations of environmental destruction and exploitation of workers within these mines. These aside from local governments' criticisms of wealth taxes going to Makati City instead of the host towns for their development.
5 priority mine projects
Five of the 24 priority mining projects the present administration is pushing for reopening are located in the Cordillera.
These are Teresa Gold Project, Far Southeast Project and Victoria Project all by Lepanto in Mankayan, Project 3000 of Itogon Suyoc Mines, Padcal Copper Expansion Project by Philex Mines, and the Batong Buhay Project by the Philippine Mining Development Corporation.
Except for the Padcal Expansion Project and Far Southeast, the other projects are already in operation. Except for Batong Buhay, the rest are located in Benguet.
Aside from these, there are also transnational mining corporations either applying or operating in Benguet such as UK-based Anglo-American (with Philex Mines, Lepanto, Cordillera Exploration, and Northern Luzon Exploration Company); Australia-based Oxiana/Royalco whose Free Prior Informed Consent (FPIC) acquisition in Bakun is under question; Anvil Mining Company (Australian), which now owns the Itogon Suyoc Mines in Sangilo, Itogon; Ivanhoe Mines from Canada which has a 12-percent share of Lepanto; Bezant Resources (UK) with an ongoing exploration at Guinaoang and Bulalacao in Mankayan. Bezant also owns 60 percent of Crescent Mining also in Mankayan; Metals Exploration PLC or MTL Philippines (UK) with applications in Atok, Tublay and Bokod town, and Columbus/Magellan Metals, also with applications in Bokod town.
In other provinces, foreign mining firms wanting to operate include Terra Nova Exploration/Wolfland (Canadian), which has exploration activities in Tabuk, Kalinga.
The US-based Phelps Dodge has partnered locally with Makilala Mining, Olympus Mining company (Canada) in Baay-Licuan in Abra, Golden Valley Exploration (Australia) also in Abra, and Oceana Gold/Climax Arimco (Australia), which has partnered with Copper Fields for operations in Apayao province.
Mero claimed the Olympus Mining Company in Abra violated the FPIC of the Binongan communities in Baay-Licuan, Abra. "A stark example where even with the law on indigenous peoples' rights are trampled upon in the name of large-scale mining," he said.
Dislike for mining
Local villagers in Baay-Licuan town in Abra earlier registered their dislike for the Olympus-Pacific exploration, but the firm is still hell-bent, with hopes to mine gold and copper mineral deposits.
Forces of the 503rd Brigade were deployed as security forces of the mining companies. Diego Wadagan, spokesman of the Abra-based Agustin Begnalen Command of the New People's Army (NPA) claimed that though the military have belied such insisting they are there because of the presence of NPA.
The 41st Infantry Battalion was redeployed in Baay-Licuan and the surrounding towns of Malibcong and Lacub on July 2008 along with Reengineered Special Operations Team (RSOT) units and other forces of the 503rd Brigade, Wadagan further claimed.
Earlier, the 503rd Army Brigade denied their role in securing big mining interests in Abra, and insisted it is only the NPA which rejects these mining interests because they protect and operate the alleged "illegal small-scale mining" activities in the upland towns of Abra, specifically in Lacub, Tineg, Malibcong, Baay-Licuan, Daguioman, Boliney, and Tubo.
Wadagan, however, argued "long before the NPA established its ties with the people of Abra, small-scale mining was already a way of life of the Tingguians and the people of Abra, Tinggians and Ilocanos alike, will fight and defend their land, life and resources."
He cited the case against the logging operations of the Cellophil Resources Corporation in the 70s, which drove hundreds of the young and brightest children of Abra to the hills to fight Marcos. "Without doubt, the people will again rise and unite against big mining interests in the province," Wadagan said.
But both police and military authorities think otherwise. Cordillera police director Eugene Martin thinks the rebels' "terror" actions against mining companies will boomerang against them because villagers are benefitting from mining operations.
Northern Luzon Command spokesman Rosendo Armas also insists rebels, whose number had dwindled in the past years because of government's successes, are only sending signals they are still there though already a small group. (AA)
