MORE NEWS, BENGUET

No local folk’s consent, no mining, says NCIP
By Dexter A See

KIBUNGAN, Benguet – Mining speculators here know that conduct of mining operations in mineral-rich villages here can be done only with the community’s consent in the form of free and prior informed consent (FPIC) but are still at it.

This means that no mining exploration will be permitted by the government unless the people favor it. Officials of the Cordillera office of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) issued this assurance to allay the fears of villagers in this town.

Earlier, it was reported that personnel of mining company were conducting exploration activities in the village. NCIP has not received any request from any firm to conduct mining activities in this town.

Before the conduct of mining exploration at a certain area, the proponents should first secure the consent of the affected communities through the FPIC process, a major requirement for the issuance of an exploration permit by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau.

Earlier, the residents of Barangay Lubo here expressed alarm over presence of mining personnel in the area who were seen taking rock samples.

They said that employees of the Alamagan Mining Corp. had been frequenting the village since November last year. This town previously hosted the operation of Western Minolco in Lubo. The affected communities claimed that the large-scale mining operation resulted in the eventual depletion of the water source in the area as well as the displacement of indigenous peoples from their ancestral domain.

However, NCIP and MGB have not yet received pertinent documents from any mining company to conduct exploration activities in the village.

Various sectors in the town expressed vehement opposition to the conduct of mining in any part of Kibungan, either large-scale or small-scale, saying they prefer to earn a living from vegetable farming.

The Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA) mandates companies intending to exploit or tap the resources of a certain area to first secure the free and prior informed consent of affected indigenous cultural communities.

The objective of the law is to protect host communities from the abuses of companies as well as allow the affected people to assert their rights over the utilization of resources in their areas so that they would benefit from the resources.

Despite laws protecting the interest of indigenous peoples, a number of mining companies find ways and means to circumvent them for their advantage and to the detriment of the host communities and people.