By MARYA SALAMAT
“With the celebration of Mine Safety Week, the mining industry portrays itself as a socially responsible industry, but in truth it is nothing but a self-serving, destructive and exploitative industry.” – Kakay Tolentino, Dumagat spokeswoman of Katribu Partylist.
By ARTHUR L. ALLAD-IW Northern Dispatch (nordis) Weekly BOKOD, Benguet – As the developers of Ambuklao dam extend a hand in partnership with the communities affected by their dam, the folk and local officials here urged the developers to address the issues which are traceable – and still un-addressed up to now- to the Ambuclao…
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
“The people affected by mining has long been asking the government to side with them. It is obvious, however, that government is quicker to respond to the interests of mining companies.”
Letter to the Editor 14 October 2011 The Philippines has historically endured gross environmental destruction caused by mining plunder: from the recorded 1982 Maricalum mining disaster in Negros Occidental, 1996 Marcopper mine-tailings dam collapse in Marinduque, 2005 Lafayette toxic spill in Albay, to the latest 2007 TVI Pacific mine-tailings spill in Zamboanga del Norte. Likewise,…
By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO Bulatlat.com What has happened to the Aquino administration’s commitment to address issues connected to climate change? In the aftermath of two killer typhoons Pedringa and Quiel, a lawmaker is demanding that President Benigno Aquino III issues a report on the accomplishments of his administration’s Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Program.…
By RONALYN V. OLEA
“Aquino shows no regard for the essential issue in the indigenous people’s struggle for the very life of their communities, their children, their way of life, their future,” Luis Jalandoni of the NDFP said.
Sidebar: Group says peace talks should tackle ‘destructive effects’ of mining
By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO Bulatlat.com MANILA — Resume the peace talks and discuss the damage mining companies wreak on the environment. This was the call of environmental activist group Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment (Kalikasan-PNE) in the aftermath of the recent successful operations of the New People’s Army (NPA) against three mining corporations…
by ACE ALEGRE Bulatlat.com BAGUIO CITY — Long-standing opposition to mining is turning out into another snag in the peace negotiations between the government of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front. Conceding that the Communist Party of the Philippine (CPP) has a standing policy against “destructive mining”, prompting its armed group, the New Peoples…
Prometheus Bound By GIOVANNI TAPANG, PhD Bulatlat.com MANILA — It came as a surprise to receive a call from my sister in Bulacan last Thursday, since I was the one who was supposed to be sending her a birthday greeting then. She was worried about the floods in the nearby towns of Hagonoy, Paombong and…
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO Bulatlat.com MANILA — Youth groups said the damage brought about by Typhoon Pedring could have been lessened if the government has control over the operations of dams. “State control over the operations of dams, such as the release of water, could have diminished the ravages of typhoon Pedring. Corporations or…
By MARYA SALAMAT
Typhoon Pedring began ravaging Luzon on Sept 26, but it was only on Oct 2 that an “emergency” meeting to address this was called by the Aquino government.