By Cai U. Ordinario
Reporter
Business Mirror
June 25, 2008
THE Philippines is still among the world’s most corrupt and politically unstable countries in the world, according to the latest report released by the World Bank (WB).
The Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI) project of the Washington-based lender showed that the country scored poorly, particularly in political stability and absence of violence and control of corruption.
“The WGI authors defined governance as the traditions and institutions by which authority in a country is exercised. This includes the process by which governments are selected, monitored and replaced; the capacity of the government to effectively formulate and implement sound policies; and the respect of citizens and the state for the institutions that govern economic and social interactions among them,” the WGI stated in a report brief.
In the WGI, the country’s percentile ranks for political stability and absence of violence was pegged at 10, while in control of corruption, the Philippines ’ percentile rank was at 22.
The WGI said Hong Kong got a percentile ranking of 86 in political stability and 92 in control of corruption, while Singapore had a percentile ranking of 90 in political stability and 96 in control of corruption.
Worldwide, Iceland got a percentile ranking of 100 for political stability and control of corruption. Finland also got a percentile ranking of 100 in control of corruption.
Country scores in the WGI are reported as percentile ranks, with higher values indicating better governance ratings. Percentile ranks indicate the percentage of countries worldwide that score below each country.
For example, a country with a percentile rank of 70 has 70 percent of countries scoring worse than it and 30 percent of countries scoring better.
The indicators are just two of the six-indicator WGI, which also includes voice and accountability, government effectiveness, regulatory quality and rule of law—where the country also did poorly.
In terms of voice and accountability, the Philippines ’ percentile rank was pegged at 43, government effectiveness, 56; regulatory quality, 50; and rule of law, 34.
Among the country’s neighbours in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Singapore received high percentile rankings for control of corruption and political stability.
The WGI also noted that in terms of political stability and absence of violence, the Philippines ’ index score, the basis for percentile rankings, worsened to negative 1.38 in 2007 from negative 0.15 in 1998.
The voice and accountability indicator measured the extent to which citizens are able to participate in selecting their government, as well as freedom of expression, freedom of association and a free media.
In terms of political stability and absence of violence/terrorism, this indicator measures the likelihood that the government will be destabilized by unconstitutional or violent means, including terrorism.
Government effectiveness, meanwhile, measures the quality of public services, the capacity of the civil service and its independence from political pressures, and the quality of policy formulation.
In regulatory quality, this indicator measures the ability of the government to provide sound policies and regulations that enable and promote private-sector development.
On the other hand, rule of law measures the extent to which agents have confidence in and abide by the rules of society, including the quality of contract enforcement and property rights, the police and the courts, as well as the likelihood of crime and violence.
The last indicator, control of corruption, measures the extent to which public power is exercised for private gain, including both petty and grand forms of corruption, as well as “capture” of the state by elites and private interests.
The WGI covers studies made by experts in more than 200 countries and territories between 1996 and 2007. They organize and synthesize data reflecting the views of thousands of stakeholders worldwide, including respondents to household and firm surveys, and experts from non-government organizations, public-sector agencies and providers of commercial business information.
The latest update of the WGI is based on 35 data sources from 32 organizations around the world. The WGI is considered as one of the largest compilations of cross-country data on governance that is publicly available.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
As Korean firms gain control of gov’t flagship mining project: Closure of Rapu-Rapu Mine sought anew
“Pack up and out of Rapu-Rapu island for good,” Bicolanos told Korean firms who took over of the Lafayette mining project. After experiencing environmental destruction, loss of livelihood and deterioration of the people’s health, Bicolanos are determined to drive away the new investors in the government’s flagship mining project.
By Lisa Ito
Contributed to Bulatlat
Vol. VIII, No. 19, June 15-21, 2008
Bicolanos and environmental advocates want the government’s flagship mining project in Rapu-Rapu terminated before it resumes operations under new Korean owners next month.
The mine in Rapu-Rapu Island , off the coast of Albay province, has been estimated to generate $350 million a year from revenues from annual production of 11,000 tonnes of copper and 13,000 tonnes of zinc.
The open-pit mine was previously owned by Lafayette Mining Limited (LML), an Australian firm and had started operations in April 2005. The project caused two mine spills, a landslide and several fish kills from June 2005 to October 2007.
Mounting debts and community opposition from the local to the international levels forced Lafayette to go under voluntary administration in December last year.
Ownership of the mine is currently under the control of Philco Resources Limited (Philco), a joint venture company registered in Malaysia and owned by Korean firms LG International Corporation and state-owned minerals explorer Korea Resources Corporation (Kores). Philco bought Lafayette ’s 74 percent stake in the mine last March.
Officials of Lafayette Philippines, Inc. (LPI), the Filipino management team running the Rapu-Rapu project since 2006, resigned this first week of June after negotiations with Philco fell through. The mine is expected to resume operations under its new Korean owners by July.
But Church groups, Bicolanos, and environmental groups now clamor for the Korean investors go the same way as Australian-owned Lafayette : pack up and out of Rapu-Rapu island for good.
Total closure sought
Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes last Friday called on the Philippine government to impose the “total closure” of the Rapu-Rapu mine, in the wake of month-long protests from Rapu-Rapu residents, Bicolano groups, and environmental organizations.
.
In a statement posted at the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) website, Bastes said that mining “ruined not only the environment but the economy” of Rapu-Rapu island. Bastes is the former head of a Presidential investigative commission which concluded in November 2006 that LPI engaged in irresponsible mining and recommended that the project be terminated.
The bishop said Rapu-Rapu mining is supposed to be the government’s “flagship” project in its revitalized mining industry program but it turned out to be a “fiasco.”
Korean Embassy picketed
Philippine environmental groups launched the first salvo of protests against the new mine owners, starting with a picket in front of the Korean Embassy in Makati City last June 11.
A crowd of around 50 fisher folks and residents of Rapu-Rapu island, environmental advocates, and supportive Korean citizens protested in front of the Embassy Tuesday morning and called on South Korean Ambassador Hong Jong-ki to support the pullout of Kores and LG International’s investments in the Rapu-Rapu mine.
Clemente Bautista, national Coordinator of militant environmental group Kalikasan-People’s Network for the Environment, said, “There is no reason to continue the Lafayette mining project. Its three-year operation in Rapu-Rapu Island has brought so much environmental destruction, community displacements, human rights violations and livelihood loss to the local people.”
Bicol residents expressed their rejection of the mine’s new Korean owners. “We are now just trying to recuperate from the division and damages Lafayette brought to our people. The urgent action is the rehabilitation of the island and the compensation of mining-affected people not another mining operation,” said Antonio Casitas, spokespersons of Sagip Isla Sagip Kapwa, a local organization leading the mining opposition in the island.
“Large-scale mining is not technically, economically and socially feasible in the small-island ecosystem of Rapu-Rapu. The Korean companies are not welcome in the island and they will suffer the same fate of Lafayette ,” stressed Arieto Radores, spokeperson of Ugnayan ng Mamamayan Laban sa Pagmimina at Kumbersyong Agraryo (UMALPAS Ka-Bikol or Unity of People Against Mining and Agricultural Conversion).
Protest song launched
An environmental NGO also expressed its opposition to the Rapu-Rapu project by releasing a CD of protest songs. The Centre for Environmental Concerns (CEC-Phils), which promotes progressive and sustainable environmental advocacy, launched a music CD entitled Rapu-Rapu Atbp: Taghoy ng Kalikasan on the eve of World Environment Day on June 4.
Named after the controversial mining project, the album’s title and carrier single is “an indictment of the plunder, pain and destruction caused by the mining project in Rapu-Rapu”, said CEC-Phils Executive Director Frances Quimpo.
The mining operations will last for approximately seven years, but its negative impacts on the environment is expected to persist for decades after the mine closes, Quimpo said.
“We hope to help bring the issues faced by the environment and people of Rapu-Rapu to a wider audience through the song, to gather more popular support for the closure of the mine,” Quimpo added.
Catholic bishops found ally on Australian prelates vs mining operations
Philippine News Agency
MANILA, June 20 - Philippine Catholic bishops have found an ally on their counterparts in Australia in their bid to stop mining activities operated by Australian firms in the country.
Australian Bishop Michael Putney said they are willing to help the local Catholic prelates’ campaign against Australian-controlled mining operations.
However, the Australian prelate refused to issue details on the possible assistance they will be extending, noting that they are willing to help if asked by the Filipino prelates.
“But we are very interested in assisting them. So if the Bishops Conference in the Philippines wanted us to become engaged in the matter then I’m sure we would be open to it,” said Putney, on the sidelines of the12th Asia-Pacific Forum of the Australian Embassy on Thursday.
He noted that the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Australia conducted discussions on mining concerns raised by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) but they do not have any official statement yet.
Putney, chairman of the CBCA-Commission on Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue, added that they are interested in the reflections of the CBCP about mining.
Mining firms, including Australian operated companies are interested in conducting operation in the Philippines , which they considered as one of the most mineral-rich countries in the world.
Australia-based Lafayette mining company operating in Albay province pulled out over environmental issues, their operation was immediately taken over by a Korean state-run mining company.
Aside from Filipino bishops, local resident in areas where mining operations are being conducted expressed opposition on the activities, saying that mining companies are destroying their livelihood. (PNA)
can/jmc/FGP/utb
Australian bishop backs drive v. mining operations in RP
Sun Star
Saturday, June 21, 2008
PHILIPPINE Catholic bishops have found an ally from their counter-part in Australia in their bid to stop mining activities operated by Australian firms in the country.
Australian Bishop Michael Putney said they are willing to help the local Catholic prelates' campaign against Australian-controlled mining operations.
However, the Australian prelate refused to issue details on the possible assistance they will be extending, noting that they are willing to help if asked by the Filipino prelates.
"But we are very interested in assisting them. So if the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) wanted us to get involved in the matter then I'm sure we would be open to it," said Putney.
He noted that the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Australia (CBCA) conducted discussions on mining concerns raised by the CBCP, but they do not have any official statement yet.
Putney, chairman of the CBCA Commission on Ecumenism and Inter-religious Dialogue, added that they are interested in the reflections of the CBCP about mining.
Mining firms, including Australian-operated companies, are interested in conducting operation in the Philippines , which they considered as one of the most mineral-rich countries in the world.
Australia-based Lafayette mining company operating in Albay province pulled out over environmental issues. The firm's operation was immediately taken over by a Korean state-run mining company.
Aside from the Filipino bishops, local resident in areas where mining operations are being conducted expressed opposition to the activities, saying that mining companies are destroying not only the environment but also their lives. (FP/Sunnex)
A healthy ecology is good economics
Antonio M. Claparols
President, Ecological Society of the Philippines
THE GREEN REVOLUTION
Manila Times
Sunday, June 15, 2008
The Philippine environment, dubbed a mega biodiversity country, is in danger as true as the saying goes. Our country once blessed with an abundant, healthy environment and balanced ecology is now in the threshold of an irreversible ecological meltdown.
Our forests are nearly gone and yet wanton logging goes on unabated with the knowledge of the government. Millions of species have gone extinct even before they were discovered and identified. Our water resources are running out as our forests continue to vanish. The air that we breathe is so polluted that with every breath we take— we inhale poison, toxic causing us to die slowly. Air and water are God-given resources, and not owned by anyone. Like the oceans, they are part of the Global Commons—owned by no one, but by all. Air has increased carbon dioxide content from 266 ppm (part per million) nearly 50 years ago to over 377 ppm today and it’s getting worse.
The Philippines is also part of the Coral triangle and considered to be the world’s center of marine biodiversity. Our marine resources are being destroyed due to the “waste basket” theory that the seas and oceans are the dumpsites of the world’s waste.
We all know that the seas are the life of the earth. They harbor countless species that complement our biodiversity and life support system. Our coral reefs and mangrove swamps are vanishing despite years of action and advocacies. These are the food chain and without them, all of us today will all suffer a catastrophic fate.
And so will the generations to come.
Our population continues to grow and with it, poverty is on the rise. We are a country so rich and yet so poor. Why do we ask? Is it a lack of awareness, is it ignorance or is it greed?
We feel that greed is the cause of destruction of our rich biodiversity.
Our government lacks the responsible actions and the political will necessary to protect our people and the environment. The economic order that they use is destroying us.
We need to change all these.
We need to repudiate loans that are marred by fraud, reduce our foreign debt and bring the culprits to the international courts. We need to create a whole new system that will not only enhance biodiversity but also result in eradicating poverty and giving us what is embedded in the constitution.
The right to a clean and healthy environment.
This is our right and we must demand for it—the outright violations of environmental laws on clean air, water, marine, forest, agriculture and now the dumping of toxic wastes and the selling of our patrimony to the extractive industries and bilateral trade.
This is a crime against humanity. It must be stopped.
Our country is rich; we can feed our population. We can be self-sufficient with our Natural Capital. We must think of ourselves first and protect, enhance and conserve our biodiversity for us and for future generations. After all, only Filipinos will speak for the Philippines.
We must not allow ourselves to be used and abused. We want food, sovereignty, clean water and air. We want a healthy environment for our people. If we need to die for the cause then so be it.
At least we can say that we did what we had to do. Personally, I see that the earth’s ecosystems will collapse in the next 10 years. We have seen the ice melting in the Artic.
We have seen the Extractive Industry Review of Dr. Emil Salim and the World Bank stating that mining will only make the poor poorer.
We have seen the GMO ban adopted by Switzerland and World Conservation Union (IUCN). We have heard Tony Blair call on the world to take action on global warming after the economic and environmental figures lost were quantified.
We have seen the ecosystem’s benefits, which give us life. The Millennium Ecosystem benefits provide us more than all the world’s gross domestic products (GDPs) put together.
Once an ecosystem is destroyed, it cannot be replaced. We cannot eat the gold that is extracted nor drink the waste that it gives. But we can eat, drink and survive with our rich biodiversity. Let us conserve mother earth’s natural capital.
We have seen our communities suffer from landslides, flash floods. And lives have been senselessly lost.
What are we waiting for? Let us ask ourselves.
A tsunami to strike Manila , or more people to die of starvation and diseases?
Time is running out. The earth is dying.
Someone Else's Treasure
The setting of the photo essay may not be Rapu-Rapu, but in many ways the stories are eerily similar: environmental destruction, loss of livelihood, health problems, rosy promises broken, harassment, communities divided, families impoverished. It would have been easy to label this a "cautionary tale", but for whom? For government officials who don't mind to amass as much as they can while still in power? For mining companies who care for nothing much but their profit margins? Or for the the people in affected communities who can't do much of anything but remain as pawns in the high stakes mining game played by powers that be?
Tsk, tsk, so much for responsible mining. So much for sustainable development.
Beneath the 7,107 islands that make up the Philippines, lies one of the world’s largest mineral resources. The Philippines is the second largest gold producer in the world (behind only South Africa), and the third largest copper producer. The countries’ mineral wealth is estimated to be somewhere between US$840billion and US$1trillion. But the record of large scale mining in the Philippines is nothing short of disastrous. The social and environmental impacts of these mines have clearly not been a priority to the Philippine government, or to the foreign investors who are profiting from these ventures. The extraction of these treasured metals comes at a high price. People who were already marginalized and living in poverty to begin with are losing what they most treasure – families are being torn apart, livelihoods destroyed, ecosystems ruined, and ancient indigenous cultures are being eroded.
These pictures tell the stories of some of the people whose lives have been affected by the Canadian mining industry. Three different provinces are visited – Benguet, Marinduque, and Oriental Mindoro. In Benguet, Lepanto Consolidated has been operating a gold mine since 1995. Canadian company Ivanhoe Mines holds shares of Lepanto. Marinduque was the site of the worst industrial disaster in Philippine history, where Canadian company Placer Dome operated a copper mine for thirty years. In Oriental Mindoro, Canadian Crew Minerals, who have recently relocated to Norway and changed their name to Intex Resources, has been attempting to open up a nickel mine despite local opposition.
Canada, home to about sixty percent of the world’s mining corporations, leads the way in the global mining industry. But some critics have labeled the mining industry as Canada’s number one contribution to global injustice. As the industry continues to shape the world we all live in, it is the hardships endured by the men, women, and children like these that make our way of life possible.
Trixie looks down at the tailings dam for the Lepanto gold mine in the province of Benguet, where the toxic waste from the mining process are dumped at a rate ranging between 1,500 and 2,500 metric tons per day. This is the third dam built here after the previous two collapsed.
According to a fact-finding mission led by British MP Clare Short, as of 2003, there had been 16 serious tailings dam failures in the Philippines in the past twenty years. Additionally, over eight hundred mine sites have been abandoned and have never been cleaned up. Cleanup costs are estimated in the billions of dollars and the damages caused are irreversible.
This particular dam has been completely inadequate against the torrential downpour during the yearly rainy season and is especially vulnerable to earthquakes as Benguet is directly above a fault line. For years the chemicals have been leaking out into the nearby river systems.
Just a few meters past the dam, contaminated water (left) - carrying with it cyanide, lead, copper, and mercury - joins together with the clean water (right) coming from the mountain springs into the river system.
Many mining sites in the Philippines are located in the mountains that act as watersheds for the surrounding river systems, which poses serious threats to those living downstream from the mines. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, contaminated water from mining operations poses one of the top three ecological security threats in the world.
The dangers surrounding mining are exacerbated in the Philippines by the additional risks from the high rainfalls, frequent typhoons and earthquakes, all of which increase the strain on the tailings dams making leaks almost inevitable.
In Cervantes, a few kilometers down river from Lepanto’s gold mine, Suley sits in the middle of her barren farm which has been contaminated by the toxic chemicals that have leaked out of the tailings dam and into the river system.
Her farm has been barren for ten years now. “If it wasn’t for the mine, we would be living a good life”, she says, “but now, life is very hard.” Before, Suley’s abundant farm more than adequately provided for her entire extended family. Now they are barely able to provide for their basic needs. Every year they try replanting fresh seeds hoping that the soil will eventually regenerate. They will do so again this year, but after ten years, nothing has changed.
According to the Save The Abra River Movement, the siltation and toxic pollution of the rivers deprives communities in Cervantes of about 7.33 million kg of rice worth US$2.27 million per annum.
Remy washes her laundry in the poisoned Mogpog River in Marinduque. In 1993 one of the tailings dams of Placer Dome’s copper mine burst sending tons of mine waste raging down the river in a flash flood sweeping away homes, people and livestock. Three years later a second collapse sent waste in the opposite direction destroying the Boac river.
After Fifteen years both rivers remain biologically dead and contain dangerous levels of toxic chemicals. Dead trees and other debris can still be seen all along the rivers. But people here have no other water sources to rely on. The company continues to deny any responsibility for what was the worst industrial disaster in Philippine history. After being ordered by the government to clean up their mess, the company responded by packing their bags and sneaking out of the country.
“Imagine...being forced into a situation where you lived in a house...and a contractor puts a huge swimming pool up on your roof. You then suddenly receive a secret report that says the roof can cave in at any time and the water can drown you and your children who live below!...How would you feel if you had no other place to live? If you feel desperate, you have just put yourselves in the shoes of...almost 100,000 villagers in my home province of Marinduque.” - Congressman Edmund Reyes from Marinduque.
The San Antonio Pit contains millions of tons of mine waste being held back by failing dams. According to a leaked document from Placer Dome’s own environmental consultants, “failure of the dam is a virtual certainty in the near term”. When the Philippine government ordered Placer Dome to make the necessary repairs, and clean up the mess from two previous dam failures or face criminal charges, Placer Dome responded by pulling out personnel from the Philippines without a word to anyone.
Eighty years old, Thomas used to bathe in the Mogpog river every day when he was younger. His body is now covered with skin discolouration which he started developing about forty years ago when Placer Dome’s mine was in full operation.
Marinduque has never been able to afford conducting a full medical survey of the island, but smaller studies have shown that, of 59 children tested, every one of them had unacceptable levels of lead in their blood, and a quarter of them had dangerous levels of cyanide in their blood. Soil and air samples also showed unacceptable levels of dangerous chemicals.
When Placer Dome left Marinduque, they left behind them the mess from years of dumping mine waste into Calancan Bay; the island’s two main rivers of Mogpog and Boac were poisoned by separate dam collapses in 1993 and 1996; a population suffering from heavy metal contamination; stripped forests; and a nine-hole golf course. The province never saw a single centavo of the profits that Placer Dome raked in.
When the first dam collapsed in 1993, the flash flood of toxic waste swept away Thomas’ treasured cow and he nearly drowned. With the San Antonio Pit now on the verge of collapse, Thomas knows that his home will be one of the first ones swept under by the coming flash floods, but he has nowhere else go. With his already deteriorating health, he stands little chance of surviving.
Wilson was a fisherman living in Calancan Bay in Marinduque where Placer Dome used to dump its mine waste. Over a period of sixteen years, Placer Dome dumped 200million tons of mine waste into the shallow coral-rich bay despite vocal opposition from the community. The president of the company, John Dodge, continues to maintain that the fishermen of Calancan Bay “have not suffered in any way because of the tailings disposal.”
Before, most of the 15,000 villagers in the area made a living from fishing in the bay for a few hours every other day. Now, there are more fishermen than fish, and the men have to go far out to sea everyday. One day many years ago Wilson went out into the bay with a small cut in his leg. As a result, Wilson suffered from mercury poisoning rendering his legs useless. One leg has been amputated, the other one will have to come off as well.
“It’s just a picture, it won’t change anything. I can’t ask you to do this”
“I want to. Look, the dam could break at any time, maybe next week, maybe tomorrow, I don’t know. But I do know that when it does happen, my house and my family will probably be destroyed. And just like last time, the company will deny responsibility. I want that picture to exist, so that people can know what happened. For that, I would be willing to sacrifice myself.”
With that a brave Marinduqueño, D., snuck a photographer in the back of a truck into Placer Dome’s old copper mine, successfully evading the armed guards still protecting the property. Here D stands in front of the San Antonio Pit, containing the millions of tons of mine waste which will eventually come crashing down on his home. His desire to put himself in harms way for the sake of this documentation is a stronger testament to the anxiety Marinduqueños have to live with every day than any picture can offer.
In Pili, Mindoro, Henry (second left) and his family enjoy a meal consisting of rice, fish and vegetables. The province of Oriental Mindoro is ranked third as the province which produces the most food in the Philippines, and is known as the “food basket” of the southern Luzon region.
The food security of Mindoro is under threat, however, by Crew Minerals’ (now Intex Resources) proposed nickel mine. The proposed mine site is located within a critical watershed area that provides the irrigation for 70% of the province’s vital rice fields and fruit plantations.
Despite widespread opposition to the mine from all levels of the local population, the company maintains that the local population welcomes the project. Crew has lied to the people of Mindoro by claiming that the proposed method of submarine tailings disposal is environmentally safe and practiced in their home country Canada, when in fact this method is banned in Canada.
Ramon, of the Alangan tribe in the village of Kisluyan, in Mindoro. Kisluyan is one of 26 indigenous villages that face the threat of displacement if Crew Minerals (now Intex Resources) opens up a nickel mine on their ancestral land.
Although many of the indigenous peoples in the neighbouring villages are opposed to the mine, it has proven difficult to organize the groups to show their unified opposition and stand up for their rights. Traditionally the Alangan have been averse to confrontation.
Crew has taken advantage by forming their own group to pose as representatives of the affected indigenous communities to sign documents consenting to the mining operations.
Luningning, of the Alangan tribe, with her granddaughter in the village of Kisluyan. The Alangan are one of 8 indigenous tribes in Mindoro, known collectively as the Mangyans. The Mangyans, who once occupied the whole island, are peaceful people who shy away from confrontation. As more and more settlers began moving to the island, the Mangyans were gradually pushed higher and higher into the mountains. Now, with the proposed opening of the mine threatening to push them off their land, they are left with nowhere to go.
Maximo is the oldest member of Kisluyan and the acknowledged leader of the community. Maximo’s biggest worry is for the future generations. Living in relative isolation high in the mountains, the Mangyans have done well to hold on to their culture despite increasing external interference. The Mangyan have managed to ensure that their own traditional ways are taught in their schools, with Mangyan teachers, alongside the standardized Philippine curriculum.
For the Mangyan, their land is the very foundation of their identity. Generation after generation, the Mangyans have been taught to care for their land; “we take care of the land, and the land will take care of us.” Deeply superstitious, many of them worry that disaster will befall them if their lands – especially their ancestral burial grounds – are desecrated.
Stoking the flames, Jeff is a community activist working for ALAMIN (Alliance against the mine), a broad coalition of Mindoreños united in their opposition to the nickel project. ALAMIN has organized numerous peaceful demonstrations to show their opposition. However, members and supporters of ALAMIN have been subject to intimidation and have even been accused of being dissident-terrorists.
The Philippines is one of the hot spots of the so-called global “War on Terror,” so such accusations are not to be taken lightly. As documented by Amnesty International and the United Nations, human rights abuses have been reported all across the Philippines against legitimate political and environmental activists. Since the current administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo took office in 2001, there have been over 700 reported extra judicial killings of such activists.
Albert has worked in the Lepanto mine for fifteen years trying to support his family of ten. But his wages are not enough to support all of them so his wife has had to leave for the city with their four oldest children to sell fruit in the market.
Many of the men risking their lives underground say they feel exploited as they struggle to provide for their families while the company profits in the millions. The miners have no masks to protect them from chemicals and dust, they work wearing nothing but helmets, boots, and briefs, and have to pay for their own treatment when they fall ill.
Albert has no doubt that it’s a sacrifice he’s willing to make. “My family”, he says, “are my inspiration.” Together with his wife, they are putting their children through school in the hope that they will have better lives. It is this hope that gets him out of bed every morning to go back underground.
Lilia’s husband, Peter, had worked at the Lepanto mine for seventeen years when all 1,787 workers went on strike in 2005. The workers were on strike for three months demanding better wages, benefits and job security to reflect the dangers of their jobs. Management refused to meet their demands and responded by firing the 19 union leaders behind the strike, including Peter. After lengthy negotiations, the 19 union leaders eventually accepted their dismissals in exchange for the reinstatement of the other striking workers. The labour disputes have been ongoing with workers complaining that the company often delays or withholds their salaries to control them.
Peter has been trying to find a new job without any luck for two years and recurring health problems have been making his job hunt increasingly difficult. With Peter unable to find work, the burden of supporting the family now falls on the shoulders of his wife Lilia, sitting here with their daughter Trixie. Lilia has no formal education so her prospects are limited. The only real option available to her is to work abroad as one of the millions of Filipino domestic servants employed all over the world. “I would like very much to work in Canada”, she says, “it must be like paradise there...do you know anyone who needs a house worker?”
But even in places like Canada, she knows Filipino domestic workers are alone and vulnerable. About a month before this picture was taken, she heard reports about a girl from the neighboring town of Ifugao who was murdered while working as a domestic servant in a mansion in Toronto. But apart from her personal safety, what troubles Lilia most is the thought of being separated from her family.
As the sun sets over the mountains of Benguet province, Lilia and Trixie walk along Lepanto’s airport runway near their home where all the gold is flown out of the province. The pattern has been repeated many times across the Philippines; the companies come in promising to bring with them jobs, development and prosperity. In reality, the experiences of the people of the Philippines show that large-scale corporate mining destroys, pollutes, and disrupts agricultural economies, and displaces indigenous peoples. While the mines do generate a great deal of wealth, local communities rarely see any of it.
The global demand for these metals have been skyrocketing, and the mining industry is booming. Yet, in places like the Philippines where these metals are found, the effects will be felt for generations. Families are being torn apart, indigenous cultures are being eroded, livelihoods lost, and ecosystems destroyed – all for someone else’s treasure.
Tsk, tsk, so much for responsible mining. So much for sustainable development.
From http://praxispictures.blogspot.com/
Monday, May 12, 2008
Beneath the 7,107 islands that make up the Philippines, lies one of the world’s largest mineral resources. The Philippines is the second largest gold producer in the world (behind only South Africa), and the third largest copper producer. The countries’ mineral wealth is estimated to be somewhere between US$840billion and US$1trillion. But the record of large scale mining in the Philippines is nothing short of disastrous. The social and environmental impacts of these mines have clearly not been a priority to the Philippine government, or to the foreign investors who are profiting from these ventures. The extraction of these treasured metals comes at a high price. People who were already marginalized and living in poverty to begin with are losing what they most treasure – families are being torn apart, livelihoods destroyed, ecosystems ruined, and ancient indigenous cultures are being eroded.These pictures tell the stories of some of the people whose lives have been affected by the Canadian mining industry. Three different provinces are visited – Benguet, Marinduque, and Oriental Mindoro. In Benguet, Lepanto Consolidated has been operating a gold mine since 1995. Canadian company Ivanhoe Mines holds shares of Lepanto. Marinduque was the site of the worst industrial disaster in Philippine history, where Canadian company Placer Dome operated a copper mine for thirty years. In Oriental Mindoro, Canadian Crew Minerals, who have recently relocated to Norway and changed their name to Intex Resources, has been attempting to open up a nickel mine despite local opposition.
Canada, home to about sixty percent of the world’s mining corporations, leads the way in the global mining industry. But some critics have labeled the mining industry as Canada’s number one contribution to global injustice. As the industry continues to shape the world we all live in, it is the hardships endured by the men, women, and children like these that make our way of life possible.
Trixie looks down at the tailings dam for the Lepanto gold mine in the province of Benguet, where the toxic waste from the mining process are dumped at a rate ranging between 1,500 and 2,500 metric tons per day. This is the third dam built here after the previous two collapsed. According to a fact-finding mission led by British MP Clare Short, as of 2003, there had been 16 serious tailings dam failures in the Philippines in the past twenty years. Additionally, over eight hundred mine sites have been abandoned and have never been cleaned up. Cleanup costs are estimated in the billions of dollars and the damages caused are irreversible.
This particular dam has been completely inadequate against the torrential downpour during the yearly rainy season and is especially vulnerable to earthquakes as Benguet is directly above a fault line. For years the chemicals have been leaking out into the nearby river systems.
Just a few meters past the dam, contaminated water (left) - carrying with it cyanide, lead, copper, and mercury - joins together with the clean water (right) coming from the mountain springs into the river system. Many mining sites in the Philippines are located in the mountains that act as watersheds for the surrounding river systems, which poses serious threats to those living downstream from the mines. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, contaminated water from mining operations poses one of the top three ecological security threats in the world.
The dangers surrounding mining are exacerbated in the Philippines by the additional risks from the high rainfalls, frequent typhoons and earthquakes, all of which increase the strain on the tailings dams making leaks almost inevitable.
In Cervantes, a few kilometers down river from Lepanto’s gold mine, Suley sits in the middle of her barren farm which has been contaminated by the toxic chemicals that have leaked out of the tailings dam and into the river system. Her farm has been barren for ten years now. “If it wasn’t for the mine, we would be living a good life”, she says, “but now, life is very hard.” Before, Suley’s abundant farm more than adequately provided for her entire extended family. Now they are barely able to provide for their basic needs. Every year they try replanting fresh seeds hoping that the soil will eventually regenerate. They will do so again this year, but after ten years, nothing has changed.
According to the Save The Abra River Movement, the siltation and toxic pollution of the rivers deprives communities in Cervantes of about 7.33 million kg of rice worth US$2.27 million per annum.
Remy washes her laundry in the poisoned Mogpog River in Marinduque. In 1993 one of the tailings dams of Placer Dome’s copper mine burst sending tons of mine waste raging down the river in a flash flood sweeping away homes, people and livestock. Three years later a second collapse sent waste in the opposite direction destroying the Boac river. After Fifteen years both rivers remain biologically dead and contain dangerous levels of toxic chemicals. Dead trees and other debris can still be seen all along the rivers. But people here have no other water sources to rely on. The company continues to deny any responsibility for what was the worst industrial disaster in Philippine history. After being ordered by the government to clean up their mess, the company responded by packing their bags and sneaking out of the country.
“Imagine...being forced into a situation where you lived in a house...and a contractor puts a huge swimming pool up on your roof. You then suddenly receive a secret report that says the roof can cave in at any time and the water can drown you and your children who live below!...How would you feel if you had no other place to live? If you feel desperate, you have just put yourselves in the shoes of...almost 100,000 villagers in my home province of Marinduque.” - Congressman Edmund Reyes from Marinduque.The San Antonio Pit contains millions of tons of mine waste being held back by failing dams. According to a leaked document from Placer Dome’s own environmental consultants, “failure of the dam is a virtual certainty in the near term”. When the Philippine government ordered Placer Dome to make the necessary repairs, and clean up the mess from two previous dam failures or face criminal charges, Placer Dome responded by pulling out personnel from the Philippines without a word to anyone.
Eighty years old, Thomas used to bathe in the Mogpog river every day when he was younger. His body is now covered with skin discolouration which he started developing about forty years ago when Placer Dome’s mine was in full operation. Marinduque has never been able to afford conducting a full medical survey of the island, but smaller studies have shown that, of 59 children tested, every one of them had unacceptable levels of lead in their blood, and a quarter of them had dangerous levels of cyanide in their blood. Soil and air samples also showed unacceptable levels of dangerous chemicals.
When Placer Dome left Marinduque, they left behind them the mess from years of dumping mine waste into Calancan Bay; the island’s two main rivers of Mogpog and Boac were poisoned by separate dam collapses in 1993 and 1996; a population suffering from heavy metal contamination; stripped forests; and a nine-hole golf course. The province never saw a single centavo of the profits that Placer Dome raked in.
When the first dam collapsed in 1993, the flash flood of toxic waste swept away Thomas’ treasured cow and he nearly drowned. With the San Antonio Pit now on the verge of collapse, Thomas knows that his home will be one of the first ones swept under by the coming flash floods, but he has nowhere else go. With his already deteriorating health, he stands little chance of surviving.
Wilson was a fisherman living in Calancan Bay in Marinduque where Placer Dome used to dump its mine waste. Over a period of sixteen years, Placer Dome dumped 200million tons of mine waste into the shallow coral-rich bay despite vocal opposition from the community. The president of the company, John Dodge, continues to maintain that the fishermen of Calancan Bay “have not suffered in any way because of the tailings disposal.” Before, most of the 15,000 villagers in the area made a living from fishing in the bay for a few hours every other day. Now, there are more fishermen than fish, and the men have to go far out to sea everyday. One day many years ago Wilson went out into the bay with a small cut in his leg. As a result, Wilson suffered from mercury poisoning rendering his legs useless. One leg has been amputated, the other one will have to come off as well.
“It’s just a picture, it won’t change anything. I can’t ask you to do this”“I want to. Look, the dam could break at any time, maybe next week, maybe tomorrow, I don’t know. But I do know that when it does happen, my house and my family will probably be destroyed. And just like last time, the company will deny responsibility. I want that picture to exist, so that people can know what happened. For that, I would be willing to sacrifice myself.”
With that a brave Marinduqueño, D., snuck a photographer in the back of a truck into Placer Dome’s old copper mine, successfully evading the armed guards still protecting the property. Here D stands in front of the San Antonio Pit, containing the millions of tons of mine waste which will eventually come crashing down on his home. His desire to put himself in harms way for the sake of this documentation is a stronger testament to the anxiety Marinduqueños have to live with every day than any picture can offer.
In Pili, Mindoro, Henry (second left) and his family enjoy a meal consisting of rice, fish and vegetables. The province of Oriental Mindoro is ranked third as the province which produces the most food in the Philippines, and is known as the “food basket” of the southern Luzon region. The food security of Mindoro is under threat, however, by Crew Minerals’ (now Intex Resources) proposed nickel mine. The proposed mine site is located within a critical watershed area that provides the irrigation for 70% of the province’s vital rice fields and fruit plantations.
Despite widespread opposition to the mine from all levels of the local population, the company maintains that the local population welcomes the project. Crew has lied to the people of Mindoro by claiming that the proposed method of submarine tailings disposal is environmentally safe and practiced in their home country Canada, when in fact this method is banned in Canada.
Ramon, of the Alangan tribe in the village of Kisluyan, in Mindoro. Kisluyan is one of 26 indigenous villages that face the threat of displacement if Crew Minerals (now Intex Resources) opens up a nickel mine on their ancestral land. Although many of the indigenous peoples in the neighbouring villages are opposed to the mine, it has proven difficult to organize the groups to show their unified opposition and stand up for their rights. Traditionally the Alangan have been averse to confrontation.
Crew has taken advantage by forming their own group to pose as representatives of the affected indigenous communities to sign documents consenting to the mining operations.
Luningning, of the Alangan tribe, with her granddaughter in the village of Kisluyan. The Alangan are one of 8 indigenous tribes in Mindoro, known collectively as the Mangyans. The Mangyans, who once occupied the whole island, are peaceful people who shy away from confrontation. As more and more settlers began moving to the island, the Mangyans were gradually pushed higher and higher into the mountains. Now, with the proposed opening of the mine threatening to push them off their land, they are left with nowhere to go.
Maximo is the oldest member of Kisluyan and the acknowledged leader of the community. Maximo’s biggest worry is for the future generations. Living in relative isolation high in the mountains, the Mangyans have done well to hold on to their culture despite increasing external interference. The Mangyan have managed to ensure that their own traditional ways are taught in their schools, with Mangyan teachers, alongside the standardized Philippine curriculum.For the Mangyan, their land is the very foundation of their identity. Generation after generation, the Mangyans have been taught to care for their land; “we take care of the land, and the land will take care of us.” Deeply superstitious, many of them worry that disaster will befall them if their lands – especially their ancestral burial grounds – are desecrated.
Stoking the flames, Jeff is a community activist working for ALAMIN (Alliance against the mine), a broad coalition of Mindoreños united in their opposition to the nickel project. ALAMIN has organized numerous peaceful demonstrations to show their opposition. However, members and supporters of ALAMIN have been subject to intimidation and have even been accused of being dissident-terrorists. The Philippines is one of the hot spots of the so-called global “War on Terror,” so such accusations are not to be taken lightly. As documented by Amnesty International and the United Nations, human rights abuses have been reported all across the Philippines against legitimate political and environmental activists. Since the current administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo took office in 2001, there have been over 700 reported extra judicial killings of such activists.
Albert has worked in the Lepanto mine for fifteen years trying to support his family of ten. But his wages are not enough to support all of them so his wife has had to leave for the city with their four oldest children to sell fruit in the market. Many of the men risking their lives underground say they feel exploited as they struggle to provide for their families while the company profits in the millions. The miners have no masks to protect them from chemicals and dust, they work wearing nothing but helmets, boots, and briefs, and have to pay for their own treatment when they fall ill.
Albert has no doubt that it’s a sacrifice he’s willing to make. “My family”, he says, “are my inspiration.” Together with his wife, they are putting their children through school in the hope that they will have better lives. It is this hope that gets him out of bed every morning to go back underground.
Lilia’s husband, Peter, had worked at the Lepanto mine for seventeen years when all 1,787 workers went on strike in 2005. The workers were on strike for three months demanding better wages, benefits and job security to reflect the dangers of their jobs. Management refused to meet their demands and responded by firing the 19 union leaders behind the strike, including Peter. After lengthy negotiations, the 19 union leaders eventually accepted their dismissals in exchange for the reinstatement of the other striking workers. The labour disputes have been ongoing with workers complaining that the company often delays or withholds their salaries to control them.Peter has been trying to find a new job without any luck for two years and recurring health problems have been making his job hunt increasingly difficult. With Peter unable to find work, the burden of supporting the family now falls on the shoulders of his wife Lilia, sitting here with their daughter Trixie. Lilia has no formal education so her prospects are limited. The only real option available to her is to work abroad as one of the millions of Filipino domestic servants employed all over the world. “I would like very much to work in Canada”, she says, “it must be like paradise there...do you know anyone who needs a house worker?”
But even in places like Canada, she knows Filipino domestic workers are alone and vulnerable. About a month before this picture was taken, she heard reports about a girl from the neighboring town of Ifugao who was murdered while working as a domestic servant in a mansion in Toronto. But apart from her personal safety, what troubles Lilia most is the thought of being separated from her family.
As the sun sets over the mountains of Benguet province, Lilia and Trixie walk along Lepanto’s airport runway near their home where all the gold is flown out of the province. The pattern has been repeated many times across the Philippines; the companies come in promising to bring with them jobs, development and prosperity. In reality, the experiences of the people of the Philippines show that large-scale corporate mining destroys, pollutes, and disrupts agricultural economies, and displaces indigenous peoples. While the mines do generate a great deal of wealth, local communities rarely see any of it. The global demand for these metals have been skyrocketing, and the mining industry is booming. Yet, in places like the Philippines where these metals are found, the effects will be felt for generations. Families are being torn apart, indigenous cultures are being eroded, livelihoods lost, and ecosystems destroyed – all for someone else’s treasure.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Rapu-Rapu folk protest takeover of Lafayette mining
Sun Star
Thursday, June 12, 2008
AT LEAST 40 fisher folks and residents of Rapu-Rapu Island in Albay Province on Wednesday called on the South Korean Embassy to stop Korean investors from taking over the mining operation left by Australian firm Lafayette Philippines Inc. in their hometown.
The Rapu-Rapu residents, together with environmental activists and peasants, held protest in front of the Pacific Star Building housing the South Korean Embassy in Makati City , asking Ambassador Hong Jong-ki to provoke the pullout of the investments of Korean Resources, Inc. (Kores) in the mining operation.
Among those who travelled from Bicol to Makati to voice their opposition to the takeover is Antonio Casitas, leader of a local people's organization based in Rapu-Rapu called Sagip Isla, Sagip Kapwa.
"We came all the way from Rapu-Rapu just to ask the good ambassador to help us prevent further ruin in the island. Lafayette has already caused damaged in our environment, livelihood and health," Casitas said.
Other environmentalist groups likewise opposed the haggle between the two firms over the Rapu-Rapu mine, saying the sale to Kores is Lafayette 's manoeuvre to evade responsibilities from all the environmental and economic damages it has caused the island and its inhabitants.
"The patrimony of the people of the island and our province is being negotiated between two foreign interests, and we are being treated as powerless onlookers," said Virgilio Perdigon Jr., spokesperson for Save Rapu-Rapu Alliance.
Last April, Korean transnational companies LG International and Kores gained majority control of LPI, previously an Australian-owned company, which operated the highly controversial Rapu-Rapu Polymetallic Mining Project.
In November 2005, LPI was found liable for the recurrence of cyanide spills, mine tailings and fish kills in the island, causing environmental destruction, community displacements, human rights violation, and livelihood loss to the local people.
LPI was ordered to pay P134 million to ensure the restoration and rehabilitation of the mine site, but there is no report confirming the payment of such up to this date.
"There is no reason to continue the Lafayette mining project. It should be closed for good instead of being sold off to another mining investor," said Clemente Bautista of Kalikasan-People's Network for the Environment.
"We are now just trying to recuperate from the division and damages Lafayette has brought to our people. The urgent action is the rehabilitation of the island and the compensation of mining-affected people not another mining operation," Casitas added.
The Rapu-Rapu project was the first foreign-operated Philippine project to reach the production stage after the Supreme Court upheld the legality of a 1995 mining law, which opened the sector to foreign investment.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has called for more foreign capital into the sector, which she said has huge potential to reduce poverty in hinterland areas where most of the Philippines ' mineral wealth is located. (AH/Sunnex)