Mark S. Ventura
CBCP News
DAVAO CITY, May 22, 2009—Church leaders and grassroots communities in Southern and Central Mindanao also signified their strong support for the passage of the Alternative Mining Bill (AMB) or House Bill 6342.
The bill which aims to scrap the old Mining Act of 1995 takes into consideration the decades-long issues, ex-periences and analyses of different individuals, organizations, and communities affected by mining in the Philip-pines.
Fr. Romeo Catedral, the Social Action Director of the Diocese of Marbel said that it is about time to give more emphasis on environmental protection, respect to the indigenous communities and the need for food security of the people.
“The alternative mining bill clearly acknowledges the importance of environmental protection as well as food security and shows authentic respect to the communities. We hope our law makers will show real concern by supporting the passage of the bill,” Catedral said in a statement sent to CBCPNews by the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center Kasama sa Kalikasan -Friends of the Earth Philippines (LRC/KsK-FoE Phils) group.
Catedral said that the Catholic Church is not against development and mineral utilization only if it promotes authentic improvement in the Philippine economy and lives of the people.
“Our diocese fully supports the Alternative Mining Bill as we demand the immediate scrapping of RA 7942. We believe that the alternative bill will ensure that benefits from mining will go not only to the community but will surely improve Philippine economy” Catedral said.
The proposed bill will raise government share from mining to at least 10 percent apart from the direct share of the Local Government Units (LGUs).
Also, leaders of the Columbio Multi-Sectoral Ecology Movement (CMEM), an alliance of grassroots organiza-tions in the Municipality of Columbio, Sultan Kudarat recently passed a resolution urging their district represen-tative to support the enactment of the bill.
“AMB reflects our position that the mining industry should be “needs–based,” should bring development to the local communities and does not favour foreign interests” said Audie Itable, chairperson of CMEM, adding:
“What is more promising in the bill is that it ensures that the benefits from mining operations should outweigh the anticipated impacts to the community and the environment.”
Itable also reiterated their group’s call to scrap RA 7942 otherwise known as the Mining Act of 1995.
The La Bugal-B’laaan Tribal Association, through its chairperson Quentol Labuayan, was present in the filing of the bill at the Office of the Secretary General of the House of Representatives. In 1997, La Bugal filed a petition in the Supreme Court questioning the validity of the Mining Act.
“Ang AMB naghatag ug dakung respeto sa among katungod isip katawhang lumad ug sa among yutang kabilin tungod kay ginaila niini nga kami ang nanag-iya bisan sa mga minerals nga anaa nasulod sa among teritoryo” (The AMB greatly respects our rights as Indigenous Peoples and our ancestral domains because it acknowledges that we own even the minerals found underneath our territories), Labuayan said.
On March 2009, leaders of Luwas Kinaiyahan, a multi-sectoral environmental alliance in Davao Oriental were also upbeat of the alternative mining bill.
The group committed to influence their district representative to support the bill through the signatures they will gather from their respective communities.
“Hopefully, Mt. Hamiguitan and Pujada bay will be finally spared from mining activities with the passage of the AMB since these two are protected areas” said Lilia Paglinawan, Luwas Kinaiyahan convenor.
“The final bill was a product of years of consultations with various sectors and even economic and environ-mental experts to ensure that it reflects the interest of the indigenous peoples and local communities, their rights and the environment are protected, food security is prioritized and that the government will largely benefit from it” said Atty. Rhia Muhi of the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Centre - Kasama sa Kalikasan/Friends of the Earth Philippines (LRC/KsK-FoE Phils).
The bill was authored by Rep. Riza Hontiveros-Baraquil, Rep. Walden Bello, Rep. Lorenzo “Erin” Tanada III, Rep. Carlos Padilla and Rep. Rufus Rodriguez. The filing was attended by various sectors including representa-tives from mining affected communities in Mindanao.
No comments:
Post a Comment