SARA Calls for Boycott of LG Products

The mining operations in Rapu-Rapu have resulted in severe decline in fish catch in the waters around the island. Hunger and poverty are daily felt by the residents. Diseases like diarrhea and skin rashes have afflicted them. In the face of these scorges, the mining companies advertise over the radio that the decline in fish catch is the result of the destruction of the mangrove forests by the residents of Rapu-Rapu. This is insult added to injury! The miners overlook the scientific fact that mangroves are destroyed by contamination from metals like copper, zinc, cadmium and nickel. Copper and zinc are the object of mining operations, aside from gold and silver. In the process, they also unleash naturally occurring mercury and cadmium. In other words, the mining operations cause the destruction of the mangroves. Hence, the mining operations cause the decline in fish catch. On top of this, the scattering of silt around the island is killing the local fish species and driving away the migratory ones.

There are several companies involved in the mining operations: Lafayette Philippines Inc. (LPI) which owns Rapu-Rapu Minerals, Inc. and Rapu-Rapu Processing, Inc.; Korea Resources Corporation (Kores); LG International Corporation; Malaysia Smelting Corporation which own LPI; and Rapu-Rapu Holdings, Inc.; JV Calleja Group; Ungay-Malobago Mines, Inc.; and Toronto Ventures, Inc. which have minor stakes in the mine. They are related in a complex arrangement but a graphical depiction on the right side of this page would help the reader understand.

In view of the unrepentant attitude of the mining companies, the Save Rapu-Rapu Alliance launched a non-violent protest action plan. The first stage is the call for boycott of LG products – refrigerators, washing machines, cellphones, flat screens, airconditioners, etc. LG has retail outlets in the local economy. With the vital participation of our friends in other countries, the impact would be multiplied.

Through this non-violent protest action, we will make LG feel how it is to lose one’s income. An estimated 14,000 fishermen and their dependents have already lost theirs, from 60 to 93 %, according to a study by Ibon Foundation.

Should the mining companies not close the Rapu-Rapu mine, in 2010 we will expand our boycott call to cover other Korean products because Korea Resources Corporation is owned by the South Korean government which has turned a deaf ear to the plight of the island residents. Our fathers and grandfathers shed their blood in the Korean War to defend their freedom in the 1950’s. Today, a large number of their children and grandchildren are being oppressed by South Koreans through Kores and LG. What ingratitude!

So, to our friends the world over, we are seeking help. The suffering of the people of Rapu-Rapu island should not last any longer. Please come to their aid. Boycott LG products!



Save Rapu-Rapu Alliance