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Episcopal church supports Lepanto workers

Tells LCMCo to grant workers’ demands

BAGUIO CITY (Aug. 3)—The Episcopal Church in the Philippines (ECP) released a pastoral statement recently calling on the management of the Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company (LCMCo) to grant the workers’ demands of wage increase and benefits, including the reinstatement of dismissed union officers and members.

In the 2003 workers’ strike, the ECP’s Prime Bishop called on the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) to withdraw the Philippine National Police (PNP) then deployed in Mankayan, Benguet to “avoid further violence in the area” when a violent dispersal took place. In one of the dispersals, two miners succumbed to cardiac arrest. In its pastoral letter, the ECP reiterated the pullout of the PNP.

The Lepanto Employees Union (LEU) has been on strike for two months now, and has reported cases of human rights violations committedagainst them allegedly by the PNP. These include the dispersals that took place on June 17, 19, 20, and 21, and the arrest and detention of workers without clear violation of the law.

LEU Spokesperson and Auditor Ronald Maslian said that the union welcomes this move by the ECP.

“We appreciate this move by the ECP as it understands the justness of the issues we have been raising on wages, benefits, and the reinstatement of dismissed workers”, Maslian said.

“Our Constitution guarantees just compensation and security of tenure for the workers,” the ECP claimed in its pastoral letter, which was signed by The Most Rev. Ignacio C. Soliba and The Rt. Rev. Danilo Bustamante. They are the chairman and the secretary of the ECP Council of Bishops, respectively.

Mining Act opposition

In the same letter, the ECP also reiterated its opposition to the Mining Act of 1995, which was declared constitutional by the Supreme Court early this year. The ECP passed a resolution opposing the Mining Act and called for a mining law “inclined towards the people in this country, concerned with environment and ecological protection and not for the exploitation and ownership of foreign mining companies”.

The ECP said that the continued implementation of the Mining Act would further cause conflict between and among affected communities who will be affected by mining waste pollution and deforestation, among others.

“At the same time, Anglicans are taught that ‘in obedience to the doctrine of creation, Christians must take all possible actions to ensure humanity’s responsible stewardship over nature… and with regard to the conservation of soil and the prevention of the pollution of air, soil, and ocean”, the statement read. # AT Bengwayan for NORDIS

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