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Regional mining confab picket DENR

MGB told to stop issuing mining permits

BAGUIO CITY (Mar. 4) — Delegates to the Cordillera Mining Conference from six Cordillera provinces and some Region 1 and 2 provinces trooped to the Offices of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Mines and Geo-sciences Bureau (DENR-MGB) here on March 3 and asked the MGB-CAR to stop issuing mining permits.

In a simultaneous dialogue, the group led by the Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) told DENR officials that Cordillera peasants oppose mining operations in the region. They said there are no genuine consultations with people adversely affected by mining.

Engr. Eduardo Austria, MGB-CAR mining operations officer and officer-in-charge disclosed that since 1991 only nine Mineral Production Sharing Agreements (MPSAs) covering 14,652 hectares and two Exploration Permits covering 547.55 hectares in the Cordillera were reportedly approved, out of the 114 mining applications received by the regional office of the) as of January 31, this year.

The picketers submitted position papers containing the people’s sentiments to the DENR and urged the concerned officials to listen and act on the indigenous peoples’ opposition to mining operations.

Richard Membrot, of CPA- Kalinga assailed the consultation process in relation to the free, prior and informed consent allegedly obtained by the Wolfland Resources, Inc. He said that only the Magnao community of the Guilayon tribe was consulted, leaving behind several other Kalinga communities who are similarly affected by Wolfland’s exploration. Wolfland is one of two mining companies granted an exploration permit.

Similarly, Tony Ngayaan, a farmer in Kalinga, said that the FPIC focused on the Guilayon tribe. He said that farmers downstream of the Manalig River did not approve of the exploration and that they have petitioned the government not to allow any mining operation in Kalinga.

Austria explained that once a mining applicant has submitted the mandatory requirements, his Office could not do anything but approve the application. “Our work is just ministerial,” he told the leaders of mining-affected communities. He assured the provincial representatives that no mining applications were approved without local government endorsements or without community approval.

“Mas patienmi ti LGU endorsement ngem ti maysa a tao nga umay agcomplain,” (We tend to believe the LGU endorsement than one person who comes to forward his complaint) Austria told the group, as he explains why the EPAs were approved.

Mankayan leader Albert Diego and Cervantes, Ilocos Sur Vice-mayor Robert Harnois complained about Lepanto’s tailings which they said find its way into the Abra River polluting the rivers and farms downstream of the Mankayan River up to Ilocos Sur.

Mering Dazon, a community leader from Mt. Province lamented that while there are a lot of problems brought about by mining operations in the Cordillera, the MGB could only do too little.

There are three MPSAs in Abra and six in Benguet – four in Mankayan and two in Tuba town. The exploration permits are in Magnao in Tabuk, Kalinga and Camp 6 in Tuba, Benguet.

According to DENR records, of the 114 applications, 65 are applications for Productions Sharing Agreements (APSAs); 10 Applications for Financial and Technical Assistance (AFTAs); 37 Exploration Permit applications (EPAs); and two Industrial Permit Applications (IPAs).

As of January 31, 109 mining applications cover more than 750,000 hectares or more than 41% of the total land area of the Cordillera region which is 1.8 million hectares. Areas covered by five new FTAA applications received by the MGB-CAR after January 31 were not yet disclosed to the media. # Lyn V. Ramo for NORDIS

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