Tuesday, November 20, 2007 Speak out: GMA’s pro-mining policies By Clemente Bautista Jr. Kalikasan Peoples Network for the Environment
PRESIDENTE Gloria Arroyo’s move to pursue environmental issues at the Asean summit in Singapore is hypocritical in the light of her rabid promotion of pro-mining policies.
Nearly half a million hectares of land have been approved for large scale mining operations since the implementation of the Mining Act of 1995 and the passage of the Minerals Action Plan under Arroyo’s Executive Order 270.
As of Oct. 30, 2006, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) approved 229 mineral production sharing agreements, covering a total of 373,201 hectares nationwide, 28 exploration permits (EPs) covering a total of 89,828.76 hectares of land nationwide, and two financial and technical assistance agreements (FTAAs) covering 51,919 hectares of land nationwide. Over 2,000 applications for mining permits are still lodged at the DENR.
Large-scale mining has left a legacy of impoverished communities and environmental despoliation.
