Philippine Mining Rush
It seems that there’s a rush for mning rights in some parts of the Philippines. Several mining firms have applied for permits to explore and possibly dig for valuable ore deposits:
On Thursday, Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Angelo Reyes said Anglo American was one of five large firms joining the rush to dig up the country’s unexplored mineral wealth.
Reyes identified the four others as BHP Billiton, Xstrata, Canada’s Chemical Vapour Metal Refining Inc and Phelps Dodge.
The Philippine government has said the country has $1 trillion worth of unexplored gold, copper, nickel and zinc.
It launched a campaign in 2005 to lure foreign investors by identifying 24 priority projects that needed total investments of at least $6.5bn to re-open old mines and bring into production new ones.
I have two concerns about this development:
1. The environmental impact of mining operations. I hope there are proper regulations in place to protect the sites and the communities around them from the negative effects of mining.
2. Foreign companies obtaining raw materials inexpensively while the country pays top dollar for products made from these same raw materials. Opening up the mining industry to the international groups will bring investments, but wouldn’t it be better to have a Philippine mining group take charge of these sites?
via FIN24; Image: Haribon Foundation
Tags: Philippine mining, Philippine miniral ores, Philippine mineral wealth
9 Comments
I am hoping that this mining rush does not turn into another “this is MINE, that is MINE and those are MINe too” chaos among the foreign bidders and their Pilipino counterparts. There should be a Pilipino watchdog group monitoring how these mining explorers are doing business in the Philippines. The revenues from the mines should also benefit the people of the land and not just a privilaged few.
Noypetes, I agree with you. I believe the Haribon Foundation is keeping watch, especially with regard to the environmental issue. They currently have a campaign to “Ban Commercial Logging and Mining in All Natural Forests”.
I AM HOPING MINING EXPLORATION IN PHILIPPINES WILL LEAD PHILIPPINES A HUGES AMOUNT OF PROFIT, AND BOOSTING PHILIPPINE ECONOMY AND QUICK RECOVERY.
THIS IS TRUE AND KNOWN BY ALL MEN IN PHILIPPINES AND IN ABROAD THAT PHILIPPINES IS THE RICHEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD.
I SEE NO IMFORMATION ABOUT HOW IS THIS PEARL ASIAN MINING INDUSTRY OPERATING IN PHILIPPINES AND IN CANADA SAYING THEY MINING SITES, A2 MINING SITE IN PHILIPPINES AND 12 MININ SITE IN CANADA AND HAS ALSO A PROPERTY OPERTING IN HAWAII.
AND HOW ABOUT PHILIPPINE GOLD MINING CORPORATION (PGMC A SUBSIDIARY OF (PAIM) PEARL ASIAN MINING INDUSTRY. SAID TO BE SOLD AND WILL HAVE PAIM OF 1 COMMON SHARE OF PAIM WILL RECIEVE I COOMON SHARE OG PGMC
THUS ANYONE KNOWS ABOUT THE OPERATION OF THIS MINING COMPANY PAIM?
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Advocacy Campaign Case Study
ADVOCACY CAMPAIGN CASE STUDY: THE ANTI-MINING ADVOCACY PROJECT OF THE PHILIPPINE MISEREOR PARTNERSHIP
By: Eero Brillantes, CEO, Mind Bullet Inc. (http://www.mindbullet.org/)
I. THE CONTEXT
In 2005, The Anti-Mining Advocacy Project was launched by the Philippine Misereor Partnership (PMP) . It is a large group of civil society and peoples organizations being supported by development assistance from the German’s Bishops’ Conference. It was an attempt by anti-large scale mining advocates within members of PMP to share knowledge, networks, and on the ground advocacy experiences. It was likewise recognized that national synchronized activities needed to be done and for the group to establish working links with other big campaigns and foundations like the Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM), Foundation for Philippine Environment (FPE), National Secretariat for Social Action, Justice and Peace-Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (NASSA-CBCP), and Ecology Desk-Archdiocese of Manila. I was hired to head the advocacy team for PMP.
To me and the team, the challenge was multifaceted. The campaign comes at the heels of a resurgent and energized mining industry with the government itself doing a global marketing blitz. The Supreme Court overturned a previous decision of not allowing international mining companies to perpetuate in the country. Mining and mining applications were mushrooming all over the country.
Armed with limited budget but lots of well meaning organizations and dedicated advocates, a strategy was mapped out to put the brakes on large scale mining and bring groups to the negotiating table.
II. THE END GAME MAPPED OUT
The end game was two pronged. First was to get support from Philippine Bishops to come out with a statement critical of the unabated large scale mining in the country. Second was to leverage the support of Bishops so that the government will engage in dialogue and hopefully concrete commitments are solicited.
III. THE TRIGGER LAUNCH
To trigger the campaign, an anti-mining road show was implemented. Two compelling videos entitled Sa Ngalan ng Mina (In the Name of Mining) were produced and distributed to all campaign members and affected communities. A photo exhibit was also distributed along with the videos. Highlighting these visual presentations were the celebrated anti-mining struggles of communities in Didipio, Nueva Viscaya, Mt. Canatuan in Zamboanga Del Norte, and Rapu Rapu Island in Bicol. (The anti-mining videos and photo exhibit were done by award winning video film maker Geraldine Torres-Brillantes).
IV. ACCELERATOR ACTIVITIES
Representatives of affected communities, especially the indigenous peoples, went on a national media blitz to drum up support for the campaign.
Tactical awareness and mobilization activities at the level of affected areas in around 78 provinces were done through out the year.
Support from Metro Manila came from Catholic Schools with strong environmental protection advocacies.
The roadshow went on for about a year. By that time, community level opposition was already gaining critical mass in many areas. Through the combined efforts of PMP, ATM, like minded groups, and affected communities themselves, the stage was set to put into motion the demand for a dialogue with government.
V. IMPLEMENTING THE END GAME SCENARIO
The PMP campaign staff sought the assistance of NASSA-CBCP, the social action arm of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, and also a member of the PMP, to spearhead the dialogue efforts.
By that time, the CBCP through a pastoral statement reiterated its call for the care for environment and for government and mining companies to become accountable for the destruction of communities with large scale mining activities.
In March 10, 2006, at the Traders Hotel in Manila, NASSA-CBCP conducted a National Mining Forum, attended by social action directors and staff representing many of the affected communities. It was also during that forum that an important side meeting was scheduled. A selected delegation of Philippine Bishops met with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Speaker Jose De Venecia, along with some cabinet secretaries. Incidentally, March 10 also marked the anniversary of the passage of the Philippine Mining Act.
The dialogue resulted in the following:
1. A review by the legislature of the Mining Act of 1995
2. Creation of the Bastes commission to review and recommend courses of action on the issue of fishkills and pollution done by Lafayette Mining in Rapu Rapu island, Bicol.
3. Direct assistance to communities affected adversely by large scale mining.
VI. ENFORCEMENT OF AGREEMENTS
As of this writing, the enforcement of the agreements are being done through the Office of the President and the NASSA-CBCP. In turn, NASSA-CBCP updates the PMP and other campaign stakeholders. While this constitutes a very important track, other campaigns and initiatives are ongoing at the international, national, and community levels. The struggles of affected communities continue.
lot of on going mining in the philippines, like this cwrm ( cotton west mining corporation)
is anyone there knows about this operation?
Wake up bicolano’s
You don’t open your eyes quick- everything will be ripped from under your feet leaving you sick, poor and hungry and no future for the children.
The foreign mning companies are greedy sucking leeches and will turn all of you into beggars.
I wanted to share this with as many people as I could find, found it on another blog:
Recent reports by a US-based environmental Think Tank and the CAFOD have shed light on human rights and environmental abuses perpetrated by a Philippine mining company called Amcor. Sourced information in both of the reports cite sourced information that Amcor owner Pedro Tan bribed government officials and community leaders to silent grassroots opposition to their mining project in Mati in the southern Philippine province of Davao Oriental. The US report, entitled: “Mining Injustices in the Philippines 2008: A Year in Review,” claims that Amcor’s owners refused to follow the environmental and ethical standards of their former joint venture partner, Australian mining firm BHP Billiton, and the Philippine government. According to dozens of sources in the report, Pedro Tan bribed government officials to look the other way. This is the reason the foreign mining partner refused to continue the project with Amcor because Amcor is not willing to obey environmental and community rights laws. A former employee of Amcor, who asked to remain anonymous in the report, claimed that it was widely known in Amcor that they were providing false information to the government, the community, and their business partner on how to make the project sustainable and minimize environmental impact.
This has been covered pretty extensively in the media already although BHP Billiton has not confirmed that Amcor pressured them to violate environment standards.