LETTERS

Who is to blame for mine tragedy in Itogon, Benguet?

As a mining engineer and geologist in the private sector, I vote “yes” to the call of Gov. Nestor Fongwan for Malacanang to conduct a no-nonsense and impartial probe of the Antamok tragedy that took the lives of six pocket miner.

Who is to blame? Is it the small-scale miner, Benguet Corp., the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, or the local government units? I submit that anyone of them cannot come out with the truth. They will just blame each other and we can expect the usual half-truths and white lies.

For one thing, Mining Geosciences Board-Cordillera cannot investigate itself. BC will wash its hands and blame the end, the death of the six miners will be treated as another statistics in the mining industry.

It is crucial to ferret out the truth if the small-scale mining industry in the Cordillera Administrative Region or in the entire Philippines for that matter is to bury its past record of unsafe mining practices and wanton destruction of the environment which is giving a black eye to the mining sector.

The move of Fongwan for Malacanang to step in is the proper approach and I suggest that it be conducted in a transparent way. It must be held at a venue open to the general public and should take the form of a public hearing submitted to the President and Congress in aid of much-needed legislation to revisit our antiquated small-scale mining law. For example, is the present setup conducive to good governance and to the effective exercise of the oversight function? Should small-scale mining be put directly under the Office of the President, say, under PMDC; or should it be under a new division in the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources?

To me, records will show that MGB nationwide has not done a very good job in helping the small-scale mining industry become a pillar in community development and in enhancing the environment. The evidence of deaths of small-scale miners in Compostella valley and here in our province as exemplified in last month’s Antamok tragedy speak for themselves. How about the unrecorded accidents in less publicized incidents all over the country?

Let not the deaths of six small-scale miners in Antamok be in vain. Let us rally behind Gov. Fongwan to ask for intervention from Malacanang in getting at the bottom of the Antamok tragedy.

P.T Quinto Jr.
Pinsao Pilot Project Baguio City
Telefax 619 4204



An open letter to Rep. Manuel Agyao, caretaker congressman of Mountain Province, Gov. Maximo Dalog and Bontoc Mayor Franklin Odsey

This respectfully concerns the circumstances of the P70 million Bontoc Water System which appeared in various local newspapers and the plan to save it among others. With all due respect, to save this project, I respectfully suggest that a full scale investigation without fear or favor should be initiated so that these hereunder questions to be answered for the benefit of the people. They should know the truth behind:

1. What was initially bidded for the water system? Was it G.I. pipes or the plastic pipes?
2. Was there a written authority for the transfer of the source from Mainit to Bay-yo?
3. Why did it take the DPWH-MPDEO almost two years to finish four phases.
4. What is the reason that two phases of the project under RIM Construction were terminated?
5. Granting that RIM Construction already collected his 15% mobilization for the terminated projects (which I believe he did) , how will the DPWH-MPDEO collect back said amount? That is for the people of Bontoc!

We have already an "Ong" who made a fool out of the people of Mountain Province. I honestly believe that your honorable selves can prevent the proliferation of many more or "banish" them.

Thank you very much and God Bless!

Juniper Dominguez
Resident Mountain Province



’AFP commanders concocting more lies to cover up human rights abuses in Kalinga’

Last July 21, AFP Lt. Jay Alambra, Lt. Aries Apduhan and Major Domingo, reported to their headquarters that they had an encounter with the NPA in Duyaas, Upper Uma, Lubuagan, Kalinga. They claimed that the encounter resulted in the death of an NPA guerrilla and the recovery of one .30 cal carbine and a magnum cal .22 revolver. They also announced that they discovered the headquarters of the NPA-Kalinga command in the mountainous areas of Upper Uma.

The report made by these officers is a brazen lie. The truth is that army murdered Rocky Aboli, married, and a resident and barangay kagawad of Upper Uma. Aboli was shot to death by troops led by Lt. Jay Alambra, Lt. Aries Apduhan and Major Domingo in Mount Bulos, Upper Uma, Lubuagan at 4 p.m. of July 20.

This is the second time this year that AFP troops killed a Kalinga civilian. Last April 4, soldiers from the 21st IB killed Rey Lugao in Kalasan, Mabongtot, Lubuagan. Two witnesses interviewed by the Provincial PNP positively identified Lt. Aries Apduhan as the commanding officer of the troops who murdered Lugao. Until now the soldiers who committed these murders and other deplorable acts are scot-free and able to wreak havoc on innocent civilians.

Aboli's murder is now the 19th incident of human rights abuse committed by elements of the AFP-PNP-CAFGU in Kalinga since 2001. These 19 incidents include 11 murders, five attempted murders, two massacres and one attempted massacre. There have been 44 civilian victims, including 26 of whom were killed, 11 wounded and 6 highly traumatized.

For some time now, Lt. Col. Antonio Lastimado, CO of the 21st IB, Col. Remigio de Vera, CO of the 501st Infantry Brigade, and Gen. Melchor Dilodilo, CO of the 5th ID, have been proclaiming over Kalinga and Cagayan radio stations that they are victorious in their counter insurgency operations, that the NPA is losing ground in Kalinga and Northern Luzon, that NPA guerillas are surrendering in droves with their firearms, and that the number of NPA guerillas has been reduced by 70 percent.

All these are outrageous lies that are woven by the twisted, craven and malicious mindset of the AFP.

But the people are not deceived. Each day they witness and are victimized by the terrifying Re-engineered Special Operations Team (RSOT) operations conducted by the 21st and 17th IB in the municipalities of Balbalan, Pinukpuk, Tabuk, Lubuagan and Pasil. Since January, AFP troops have been forcing residents in these municipalities to sign documents pledging allegiance to the Philippine government and the AFP. Able-bodied men in these areas have been forcibly conscripted into the CAFGU.

The increasing human rights abuses perpetrated by the AFP in Kalinga and in other parts of the country are all part of Oplan Bantay Laya (OBL) 2, the ambitious overall security plan of the Arroyo regime to crush the revolutionary movement by 2010. But OBL 2 is a failure, for even the regime's generals and high-ranking defense department personnel say that the revolutionary movement cannot be defeated by 2010.

Ka Tipon Gil-ayab
Spokesperson
Lejo Cawilan Command New People's Army
Kalinga