Opening more mines invites more disasters

By ALDWIN QUITASOL
www.nordis.net

BAGUIO CITY — Progressive Bayan Muna Representative Neri Javier Colmenares through the web said President Benigno Aquino II should consider the widespread opposition to destructive large-scale mining operations before opening the country’s mineral resources to more mining companies.

Colmenares said that giving favors to more mining investments and companies just for additional revenues is courting more environmental disasters.

He said that the palace seems oblivious of the disastrous effects of large scale mining to the environment and to the communities who are suffering while mining companies extract innards of the lands their ancestors have been caring for.

“A lot of indigenous communities in the country are living proofs of the devastation of extractive mining operations can do. Even people from countries all over the world are victims and witnesses to the deadly effects of mining operations not only to their lands but also to their lives and the generations up ahead. There is already widespread opposition to these ever destructive mining operations,” said Colmenares.

The lawmaker said that the president should read the manifestos and study papers on the ecological and social impact of mining operations in the Philippines and in many other countries. He added that the Mining Act of 1995 should be scrapped because it has resulted to the environmental denudation and destruction of properties and lives by big mining companies. Colmenares said because of this, there will no longer be anything left for the next generations. “It is a culprit to our environment’s degradation and to more disastrous calamities,” he stressed.

According to Colmenares, when mining corporations encroach on our mineral reserves, forests are denuded of trees; mountains are gobbled up by bulldozers until it has to be flattened by operations such as open pit mining.

“The mining corporations take home super-profits from their extraction activities, the government gets a bit of crumbs , while the community around are robbed of their lands, livelihood and water. After the company leaves the people are left to deal with no livelihood, contaminated water and a devastated environment,” Colmenares said.

Colmenares cited few cases of the effects of mining in different parts of the country. When the tailings dam of the Marcopper Mining in Marinduque gave way, many people were left dead and livelihoods destroyed.

Massive soil erosion and sinking ground destroyed agricultural lands as well as residential houses in Mankayan Benguet where the Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company operates.

Fish-kill because of the cyanide spill in Rapurapu, Albay.

Colmenares also cited that according to the very recent report of an environmental group’s investigation, it was found out that destructive mining projects approved by the Arroyo administration continue to create havoc and disunity in the affected communities today, in the time of the newly elected president who promised to be different from the past president.“ # nordis.net