London Anti-Mining Confab Blames GMA, TNCs for Killings, Harassment

Published on October 27, 2007

Advocates for the protection of the environment in the country are among those endangered. Records showed that they are among those listed in the more than 860 victims of extra-judicial killings, an international peoples’ anti-mining network revealed recently.

BY ARTHUR L. ALLAD-IW
Northern Dispatch
Posted by Bulatlat
Vol. VII, No. 38, October 28-November 3, 2007

Mines and Communities, an international network of individuals and organizations which coordinates campaigns against large-scale mining, blamed the killings of Filipino environmental activists on transnational corporations (TNCs) and called President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo a “conduit” for these companies in its recent conference held in London.

There have been 23 environmental activists killed since 2001 while various community leaders have been charged in court for allegedly obstructing operations of TNCs, an MAC statement released after the conference held Oct. 17 pointed out.

“These infringements on civil liberties and violations of human rights are part of the offensive being waged by mining TNCs and the Philippine government on people who actively oppose the large mining projects of transnational corporations and the National Mining Revitalization Program of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo,” the MAC statement read.

MAC disclosed that the latest environment activist to be killed was Sangguniang Bayan (Municipal Council) member Armin Marin of Sibuyan, Romblon. He was killed on Oct. 3 while town residents were staging a protest against Sibuyan Nickel Property Development Corporation, added MAC which also pointed out that the said corporation is a partner of BHP Billiton, the world’s largest mining transnational.

“At least 18 of them (23 environmental activists) were involved in community movement against large mining,” MAC explained in its statement.

The MAC statement also pointed out that four anti-mining activists were killed from 2005 to 2006. The four, which it did not name, were allegedly involved in anti-mining operations of the Poly-Metallic Mining Projects of the Australian corporation Lafayette in Rapu-Rapu Island, Sorsogon.

MAC stated that various community leaders who opposed the entry of large-scale mining in their communities had been charged in court.

MAC cited the filing of grave slander, a criminal case, against community leader Josie Guillao of Runruno, Quezon, Nueva Vizcaya.

Guillao is among those who actively leads the opposition to the mining exploration of the MTL Exploration Company. She was arrested on Oct. 18 and got out only by posting bail a day later.

Earlier, local officials and leaders in Nueva Vizcaya were charged on July 23 by Australian company Oxiana-Royalco for alleged obstruction of the company’s operation. The case was dismissed, however.

Even leaders of environmental groups are not spared, MAC stated, citing the case of Frances Quimpo, executive director of the Center for Environmental Concerns (CEC) who was charged with libel for publishing studies and reports about the effects of mining operations by Lafayette Corporation in Rapu-Rapu.

Sharing solidarity with the Filipino communities, the participants demanded justice on the harassment and extra-judicial killings. They urged the government to cancel mining permits for TNCs and ensure the accountability of mining corporations involved in environmental destruction and violations of human rights.

Foreign corporations are actively involved in mining in the country due to the mining revitalization program of the present administration. A national Mineral Development Council (MDC) was created in 2005 based on Executive Order No. 460, which was issued by Arroyo that same year. Regional counterparts of the MDC, including in the Cordillera, have since been established.

The Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) had earlier noted that 1.2 million hectares of the Cordillera’s 1.8-million hectare total land area are covered by foreign corporations’ mining applications.

Out of the 21 environmental organizations which attended the conference in London, four were from the Philippines. Among these was the CPA. Northern Dispatch / (Bulatlat.com)