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Increased environmental damage assessed in STARM mission

BAGUIO CITY (Oct. 28) — The Save the Abra River Movement (STARM) organized another Environmental Investigatory Mission (EIM) along the Abra River on October 25-26 with over 116 participants from people’s organizations, non-government organizations, the academe, and the church.

The group was divided into the Upper Abra River team that covered Mankayan, Benguet down to Cervantes and Quirino, Ilocos Sur and the Lower Abra River team that surveyed the Abra and lower Ilocos Sur segments of the river.

The EIM was conducted in partnership with Mankayan, Quirino, Tadian, Cervantes Danggayan a Gunglo (MAQUITACDG), the alliance of people’s organization living along the Upper Abra River). At various points along the Abra River, the EIM team was hosted by Abra Governor Vicente “Vicsyd” Valera, Jr. and his wife Bangued Mayor Zita “Ching” Valera, Ilocos Sur Provincial Governor Luis “Chavit” Singson, the Ilocos Sur Provincial Board, the municipal governments of Cervantes, Quirino and Vigan, Ilocos Sur, Mankayan, Benguet and Manabo, Abra, the barangays of Puro, Casibir, Sallacong and San Mariano, Ilocos Sur and Pakiling, Abra. Most of these supportive LGUs had recently made resolutions demanding a stop to further Lepanto expansion.

Water sampling

Water sampling for physicochemical testing was conducted at 17 points along the Abra River from Mankayan, Benguet all the way down to Abra and the mouth of the Abra River in Caoayan and Santa, Ilocos Sur.

Water sampling started at the Carbon-in-Pulp (CIP) Mill Outlet of Lepanto Consolidated Mining Corporation in contrast to the DENR-Lepanto Multi-Partite Monitoring Team which starts its water sampling only at Tailings Dam 5A. Technical experts in the team said that pollution must be measured from the CIP Mill Outlet since the environment and the nearby communities of Paalaban and Cabitin already comes in contact with the mine wastes from here.

Samples taken from the CIP Mill outlet registered an acidic pH and emitted a strong acetone-like smell. Dissolved oxygen readings at the CIP Mill Outlet and at Tailings Dam 5A registered below 2 mg/L. According to the scientists in the team, aquatic life cannot survive in conditions where dissolved oxygen is below 2 mg/L. This puts into question Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company’s (LCMCo) recent claim that fish can be found swimming in Tailings Dam 5A.

Soil sampling

Soil samples were also collected from at least six sites.

Soil sampling in the vicinity of Tailings Dam 5A proved dangerous for the EIM team as digging of less than 1 meter in depth resulted in water flowing into the site of digging. The soil under the surface was an unstable slurry of sand, soil and water. The EIM soils team feared that this was an indication of the instability of the ground all around Tailings Dam 5A.

Soil sampling done in Camay, Cervantes, Ilocos Sur revealed foul-smelling, blackened soil at less than a meter below the surface. Palay in this area were noted to be stunted and had a burnt appearance. Local farmers attribute this to the overflowing of river water and tailings into their ricefields during heavy rain fall in recent years.

Environmental, social decay

As evidence of continued environmental degradation of the Abra River by LCMCo were collected by the EIM team, testimonies of community residents at the newly re-opened mine exhaust tunnel at Sitio Pacda, Palasaan, Mankayan put into question Lepanto’s claims that the exhaust tunnel posed no danger.

LCMCo has obtained a temporary permit to operate the exhaust tunnel from the DENR-Environmental Management Bureau (EMB). Residents of Sitio Pacda complained of nasal irritation from the smoke they observed coming from the exhaust at various times of the day, usually late at night or in the early morning. Banana plants have been noted to be wilting abnormally.

In 1997, the air pollution from the Tohking exhaust tunnel caused nausea and vomiting, dizziness and abdominal pain among the residents. Domestic animals also developed eye irritation/ reddening and nosebleed. It is feared that the same thing will happen again soon.

Lakay Nick Sab-it, the owner of the land where the exhaust tunnel is located, revealed in an interview how deception was employed by LCMCo in obtaining right to the land. Lakay Sab-it was paid a mere P30,000 for the lease of his 2,000 square meter lot for 25 years. He was told that the tunnel was only going to be used for air intake. However, he was made to sign a contract that permitted use of his land “for a sandfill, ventilation raise and other related mining works, including the conduct of exploratory drilling”. These were not discussed to him when the company was convincing him and his clan to lease the land.

Lakay Sab-it and the communities affected by the exhaust tunnel have submitted a petition to the Sangguniang Bayan (SB) against the exhaust tunnel. This was endorsed by the SB to the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) for appropriate action.

However, the SB also endorsed a petition allegedly signed by workers in support to the operations of the exhaust tunnel. This said petition was also endorsed to the EMB recently.

In an interview, Mankayan Mayor Manalo Galuten denied having seen any petition authored by LCMCo miners supposedly endorsing the exhaust tunnel. The mayor also denied having signed any SB resolution supporting this petition.

Interviews made among Lepanto workers revealed that they were recently made to sign a blank sheet by their supervisors, at the start of their work shift. They were not given the opportunity to read the actual petition they were signing.

A vow of commitment

At the conclusion of the EIM, STARM members and advocates in Ilocos Sur hung a streamer at the Banaoang Bridge which read “Save the Abra River! Stop Lepanto expansion!” They vowed to regularize the conduct of such EIMs until pollution of the Abra River is halted and the River runs clear once again.

The EIM team included the Saint Louis University (SLU), University of the Philippines Baguio (UPB), Benguet State University (BSU), Easter School Inc. (ECI), Itogon National High School, the University of Northern Philippines (UNP) and Abra State Institute for Science and Technology (ASIST). Other participants came from the Accion Contra el Hambre (ACH), United Church of Christ in the Philippines and in Canada and the Health Action Information Network (HAIN). The Cordillera Human Rights Organization and Tanggol Kalikasan provided legal assistance. # via NORDIS

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