Saturday, March 15, 2008 Mining to continue amid opposition: Guv By Ben O. Tesiorna
DAVAO Oriental Governor Corazon Malanyaon said she respects the stand of the church against mining, but she was quick to add that she will not stop mining operations in her province for as long as there is no law prohibiting such.
"For as long as mining is not outlawed, we can just regulate but we cannot absolutely prohibit it," she said.
Davao Oriental is host to a $1.5 billion nickel mining project now being undertaken in the City of Mati.
On Wednesday, three senior Roman Catholic bishops stepped up their campaign against mining operations as they launched the "anti-mining solidarity week."
In a report, Bishop Sergio Utleg said they are against mining since it destroys both the environment and local communities.
"Mining in the Philippines not only destroys the environment but has become the vehicle for the violation of human rights, enthnocide of indigenous communities, and even deaths," said Utleg.
Utleg, chair of a special commission on tribal communities of the influential Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, charged that encouraging mining investment in this impoverished country was a violation of human rights.
Bishop Ramon Villena, for his part, said only foreign and local investors were benefiting from the resurgence of the mining industry and not the people in the area themselves.
Bishop Deogracis Iñiguez also said he hoped the anti-mining week would drum up support for opposition to the industry.
The mining industry, which employs about 141,000 people, has enjoyed a revival in recent months. The government is targeting $6.5 billion in total investment in mining from 2007 to 2011.
However, the sector has also become a target of environmentalists and leftist activists including communist guerrillas who have attacked mining companies.
