Home > Op-ed | To bottom

On mining threats in Kalinga

By LIBERTY BALNAO

(The Advocate’s Overview gives way to this commentary by Liberty Balnao, our guest columnist from Kalinga.)

Issues on mining have long-been existing in Kalinga. During and after the operation of the Batong-Buhay Gold Project (BBGP) in Pasil,Kalinga, adverse impacts of large scale mining had been observed and experienced. This agitated the Kalingas to struggle against these destructive mines. It is very tragic that after the Kalinga community succeeded in closing BBGP’s operation, local and foreign mining companies are again trying their best to infiltrate our communities.

The Supreme Court reversed its decision on the unconstitutionality of the Philippine Mining Act of 1995 last December 2004. Hence, the Supreme Court now allows 100% foreign ownership and control of mining activities in the country. This decision opened the gate for total control of foreign investors and corporations of our natural resources. This is one of the reasons for the sudden influx of mining companies’ active applications for mining exploration in many provinces including Kalinga. The government, instead of safeguarding its people, is doing its best to invite foreign investors to “invest” and at the same time, to destroy the lives of the Filipinos and amass their natural wealth.

The BBGP is the 15th in the list of the mines prioritized by the incumbent administration to be reopened. Philex mines and Lepanto Consolidated Mining Corp (LCMC) are aggressively interested to open the said abandoned mines. The LCMC is in business partnership with Ivanhoe Mining Co., which is infamous for being the worst mining company in relation to pollution and environmental destruction. If the government will continue to reopen these mines, it will be inviting destruction to Kalinga. It will be bringing back the crisis brought about by the BBGP’s past operation. It will more and more heighten the rate of poverty, illnesses, environmental exploitation and catastrophes.

Last July 2004, the Wolfland Resources, Inc.(a foreign mining company) started its mining exploration in the Barangays of Magnao, Guilayon and Nambucayan, Tabuk, Kalinga and it is continuing up to the present.(Mining exploration is the preliminary step to mining operation.) This mining exploration is currently being opposed by some concerned individuals and groups and the communities that will be affected once the mining operation begins. It has been rationalized by the government that this exploration is just a mere search for the exact location of gold ores and the amount of gold ores present. Therefore, they say, the company will not mine gold from the area. However, thank goodness that the Kalingas are not dumb to be fooled by such reasons. In locating gold and its amount, they use the process called diamond drilling which collects gold ores from within the ground. Of course, the mining company will not leave those collected gold in the area. They take away those minerals even if operation is not yet permitted. And yes, mining exploration is the initial step for mining operation. Meaning, after two years, they can apply for the mines to be operated. At kung sisimulan na ang minahan, simulan na rin nating sukatin ang hirap at kamatayan na aabutin nating mga Kalinga. (When the mines start, let us begin to measure the hardships and death that the Kalingas are bound to meet) It is not only the three barangays that will be affected. River systems in the neighboring barangays will be destroyed because of forest denudation and underground excavation. And eventually, there will be no water to supply the agricultural needs and other river-dependent livelihood of the people in these barangays. Let me remind everyone that agriculture is the main source of living of the Kalinga masses. Sa palagay natin, saan na kaya kukuha ng ikabubuhay ang mga taong ito? Idagdag pa ang polusyon galing sa minahan na magdudulot sa kanila ng sakit. (In our opinion, where will these people get their livelihood? Add to this the pollution from the mines that will bring forth illnesses.) I fear that this will result to the worsening of poverty, or worst, death to our fellow Kalingas.

At present, there are eight applications for mining exploration in our province. These include the mining application in Pasil and Pinukpuk by Wolfland Resources, Inc., two separate applications in Balbalan by the Cordillera Exploration Co. Inc. and four more in different parts of Kalinga. If all these mining applications will be approved, Kalinga will be a wrecked province since 110 of its barangays, tantamount to one-third of its land area will be directly and indirectly affected.

Kalingas had once united and mobilized against the destructive mining companies and now, the decision of the government is agitating the people to rise against mines once again.

Impacts of large-scale mining

There are valid reasons why mining is a threat to the Kalinga people and to the whole nation as well. Primary is the destruction of lands and generation of massive amounts of mine wastes (as much as 8 tons per ounce of gold produced).

These poisonous wastes consisting of chemicals such as carbon and sulfur are dumped into our rivers. Of course, our rivers will be polluted and will lead to the toxic contamination of the aquatic organisms living in it and the contamination of the crops, soil and livestock dependent on the river waters. This makes mining a threat to our food security.

Because of the need to build mining structures and tunnels, the mining companies cut a large number of trees along the forest and mountains at the mine site. And what is Mother Nature’s response to denudation of forests? FLOOD!

When the mountains and lands will be excavated, the groundwater system will be destroyed, resulting in the decrease of water supply. In the mining operations, there are different toxic chemicals used and they are easily distributed to the environment by air and water, thus mining becomes a threat to health security. It causes respiratory diseases, skin diseases, neural disorders due to excessive exposure to lead and mercury, accumulation of poisons in the various organs of the body and in the blood due to excessive exposure and intake of toxic pollutants that have spread in the environment and entered the food chain and women’s reproductive system.

Majority of the lands in Kalinga are ancestral lands. So we expect rampant ancestral land grabbing since one-third of the land area of Kalinga is targeted for mining.

The advent of large-scale mining will worsen the peace and order relations in Kalinga because of the divide and rule tactics of the government. It heightens the tribal conflict situation to take an easier control of the people. It intensifies militarization in areas where there is community resistance t mining. This results to the violation of human rights of protestors in the form of harassment, intimidation, arrest, detention, fabrication of criminal acts, killings, etc. as experienced in Lepanto and Climax Arimco. Instead of safe guarding the people, the military will serve as threats to the safety of the community.

Readers, I intend to make this article for this issue a forum for discussion regarding our mining situation. I intend to awaken your consciousness on this matter, which surely has a large impact to our society. So, before I end this column, may I then leave you questions for you to ponder upon and may these result to actions that will be for the betterment and welfare of the people: Shall we allow these giant mining companies to amass our natural wealth when in fact we are the ones who are supposed to cherish those wealth? Shall we idly watch them exploit our environment and bring us to death? Shall we let them grab the ancestral lands, which our ancestors had passed upon us to take care? What then shall we do?

Our brethrens and pioneers had set concrete examples to us. They advocated the defense of our lands and our patrimony against the aggressive mining companies and their political cronies. Many lives had been sacrificed in the struggle. However, more lives will be sacrificed if we apathetically sit around watching those mining companies infiltrate our province and let the government rule its anti-human and pro-death orders! #

Home > Op-ed | Back to top