Mining or Food?

One may startle with a puzzling mood if offered to choose either food or mining. Others may not be puzzled at all. Some may pause and hesitate. But if you choose mining well you have to read this.
Mining is not doing any good to the marginalized members of the society – that of indigenous people – but only the wealthy and, as it was said by the Working Group on Mining in the Philippines or WGMP, “corrupt officials”.
The WGMP sent British environmental experts to the Philippines to go over the impact of mining in the country and to give support to the local government and sectors who are advertently affected by the negative impacts of the Philippines. Robert Goodland who worked for the World Bank for 23 years; Clive Wicks who formerly worked for the Worldwide Fund for Nature and now- is the vice- chair of IUCN-CEESP; and Clare Short who is from the House of Commons, UK went to the Philippines last 2006 for a fact finding mission.
The said fact finding mission came up with the Fact-finding Mission to the Philippines Report sponsored by the CEESP (Commission on Environment, Economic and Social Policy) National University of Ireland Galway, Columban Faith and Justice, CAFOD, TRoCAIRE and PIPLINKS (Philippine Indigenous Peoples Links of which salient points are establish here.

Cost of doing business
One of their findings is the “deplorable record of human rights violation” which has led to the appalling militarization. They were surprised when one of the mining firms, the TVI mining company hired “169 armed security guards to block access of Subanon indigenous people to their ancestral domain”. And the King King Mine is found to be paying illegal protection money to terrorists and military groups approximately $2 million as “cost of doing business”. Records of this payment were presented to a Canadian Parliamentary committee in 2005.
It also cited reports that the use of intimidation against indigenous people in mining sites is widespread. One incident curtailed the life of a 70-year old Timuay Macario Salacao in a picket held to stop an equipment for the mining site in Canatuan.
Rampant corruption is also noted by the Transparency International in 2004. “John Ruggie, a representative from the Secretary General on the issue of Human Rights and Transnational Cooperations and Other Business Enterprises listed large scale corruption as one of the abuses typically associated with extractive industry”. Furthermore, they revealed international studies linking dependency on natural resources to corruption. In fact, it is said that 65 elite families benefited from the mining; but didn’t gave any details. Worst is, it deprived indigenous people and poor communities who rely on their living upon the forest and rivers

Environment, Judiciary
The judiciary seems to have been sitting on the cases of mining. On top of that, the law is often viewed as easily circumvented and a mere technicality. It seems though that the government has failed to comply with the environmental standards since they were not able to provide the community with adequate information to enable them to monitor mining firms’ compliance in environmental standards.
And to prove the point – that mining is not doing any good – a series of startling discoveries had found out by the WGMP. One of which is the Marcopper disaster wherein estimated “4 million of tailings slurry was spilled in Boac river” making it biologically dead and affecting 20,000 people. Issues on the biodiversity in the country is also throbbing the WGMP. It pointed out that mining under fault lines and downstream is affecting the people with water safety and poses high risk. Not to mention the food security which is the result of water contamination due to siltation of rivers potential for irrigation.

Attendance Sheet as Proof of Consent
The IPRA or Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (1997) and RA 7942 or Mining Act (1995) guarantee the indigenous people the right to Free, Prior, Informed, Consent (FPIC). But things aren’t working out well. It was observed that the NCIP or National Commission on Indigenous People abided with the companies. FPIC’s are denied to indigenous people. They are instead given propagandas that are coming from the mining firms and little information was given, forfeiting them with their rights. And “promises made during the negotiation would not be subsequently fulfilled.”
A report is also cited at Midsalip community where “attendance sheets at meetings with the company had been used as proof of consent”. And, as if FPIC’s are for sale, bags of rice and cash amounts are offered for exchange. During one of their discussions the WGMP found two common themes according to the indigenous people. First is that “…the companies lacked respect for their tradition and culture” and second, “…indigenous people relate to factionalism and misrepresentation.” These led for the discovery of the weaknesses of the IPRA which includes the “short timeframe allotted for consensus building in the Implementing Rules and Regulations”.

Persistent poverty not prosperity
It cited a report in Mindanao as attributed by the pollution caused by mining. “People are suffering form itching and skin rashes after washing with water or working in the rice fields”. Thus, nutrition level fell and worst is – that the “families can no longer afford health services”. Aside from the deaths caused by the collapse of tailings dams, it can also have disastrous long- term health effects. Not to discount is the HIV/AIDS the migrant male workers are sending in the country.
Alarmingly, companies are “proceeding to areas of armed conflict in Mindanao”, exacerbating the conflict. Thus, human rights abuses will escalate and militarization will once again increase.
Mining – as it was promoted by the government – is to alleviate poverty. But evidences pointed out the contrary. It cited a report from the National Economic and Development Authority and Mines and Geosciences Bureau for 23 priority mining projects. Figures have shown that the annual cumulative revenue of $135M, “when incentives are factored in, the total revenues drop significantly, in some cases close to zero”. It also cited Oxfam study, hence “historic mining regions have become synonymous with persistent poverty not prosperity”.
Using the pieces of evidence gathered by the WGMP, they believed that: “large-scale, technologically sophisticated mining appears unlikely lo lead a job creation….; It seems clear that revenues to the state…will be substantially less than expected; …affected poor, indigenous communities on site and down stream will be worse off.”

Reference: Philippines: Mining or Food?, Dr. Goodland, R. and Wicks, C.M., CEESP, National University of Ireland Galway, Columban Faith and Justice, CAFOD, TRoCAIRE and PIPLINKS, (2008)