Duterte
urged: Stop mining operations
KASIBU, Nueva Vizcaya -- Oceana Gold Philippines Inc.
pulled out their drilling operations here
in Camgat, Didipio, Kasibu last week, three days after anti-mining
residents barricaded the entrance to the site.
During the presidential inauguration in Metro Manila
on June 30, the residents urged President Duterte to stop the Australian mining
giant from destroying their community.
“President Duterte, please
stop Oceana Gold. We experienced its negative impacts to our environment,
livelihood and health. Please realize your promise that you will stop the
operations of destructive mining companies once you are in power),” they said
in a statement.
The
barangay council and anti-mining residents under Didipio Earth Savers
Multi-Purpose Association (Desama) and
Samahang Pangkarapatan ng Katutubong Mangagawa at Magsasaka Inc. (Sapakmmi) decided
to stop the barricade after OGPI pulled out their equipment in the area stating
that the victory of the people is only temporary.
“We will maintain to be
vigilant towards the company’s dirty tactics of sneaking in drilling equipment
in the area. Last time, they sneaked in their equipment when the community was
busy attending a wedding and a funeral,” said ErenioBobola, chairperson of
SAPPAKMI.
According to reports from the
residents, immediately after the barricade, OGPI called for a meeting with the
barangay to discuss the new amendments of their Environment Compliance
Certificate (ECC) which is the basis of their entry.
“We already signed a
resolution in 2012 that the community will not allow any mining activity in the
area. The company did not respect that by asking the approval only from the landowners
where the drilling machines were situated,” said Myrna Duyan, a board director
of DESAMA.
“We still need to
consolidate the landowners and the barangay council to steady their anti-mining
stand and not be co-opted by the company’s offers because even though it is
their land, the effects of the operation will affect all of us in the
Barangay,” Erenio Bobola, chairperson of Sappakmi updated through a phone
interview
Last week, the barricade was visited by incoming Gov.
Carlos Padilla who vowed to help the residents stop the drilling and
exploration of OGPI.
Padilla, with over a hundred leaders of
the AbotPalad organization led by outgoing Gov. Ruth Padilla met with
indigenous peoples and residents showing their support against the mining
exploration and expansion activities of OceanaGold.
The AbotPalad brought with them
logistics and vowed to support the anti-mining groups in their crusade against
the mining operations and expansion of OceanaGold in the province.
In August 2014, Didipio residents submitted
a petition to the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) opposing the expansion of
OGPI’s mining operations, but in March 2016, the mine firm was granted an
extension of its exploration activities, further expanding its operations until
2021.
Village officials and anti-mining groups
have raised sanitary concerns like water seepage from the tailings dam, water
pollution, respiratory and other diseases and other environmental issues
resulting for the explorations.
Meanwhile, indigenous peoples allied
with the Katribu (Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas) urged newly
appointed Environment Sec. Gina Lopez to support their collective call to
immediately stop mining operations and cancel the permit of Oceana Gold
Philippine Inc. (OGPI) in Nueva Vizcaya.
Mining-affected indigenous peoples also
urged Lopez to seriously pursue President Rodrigo Duterte’s promise to heed the
people’s growing demand to end large-scale and destructive mining not only in
Mindanao but also throughout the country.
The call was supported by Padilla,
saying that Lopez’s bias for the protection and conservation of the environment
and natural resources will be a big shift for the DENR, which many label as a
facilitator of destructive projects.
Padilla said while agriculture is the
main industry in Nueva Vizcaya, it also has a high ecotourism potential.
However, the province is threatened by large-scale mining projects.
There are two foreign large-scale mining
operations in the province – the Australian-Canadian OceanaGold and British FCF
Minerals in Runruno, Quezon.
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