Chinese mining companies launch invasion on Philippine soil

MANILA (mabuhay) : “The continual mining operation at relentless speed, day and night, is turning the vast agricultural land into a virtual desert,” a June 14 press release from the National Secretarial for Social Action of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines reads in describing the effect of mining in MacArthur, Leyte, on the rich agricultural land around Lake Bito.

The executive secretary of the secretariat, Father Edwin Gariguez, says that although it is forbidden for mining to take place near waterways by the Mining Act of 1995, the Chinise-owned Nicua Mining Corporation and the Strong Built Mining Development Corporation are operating a full-scale operation, only metres away from the river outlet to the lake, and excavating magnetite.

Although the company signed an agreement to form a sinking fund at least 150,000 pesos <US 27,300> to pay for scientific monitoring of the condition of the water in the lake and promised to pay 10 percent of the cost of keeping the coastline clean <or five million pesos [US 910,000], Father Gariguez says that the area is becoming a wasteland.

On 14 October 2010, Nicua Mining signed an agreement with the Mines and Geosciences bureau, the Environmental Management Bureau, the Local Government MacArthur Unit and the Senior Citizens Association, a local non-govrnmen organization, in which it undertook to repair any damage done by its operation.

However, Father Gariguez says that when he visited the community near Lake Bito and Villa Imelda with some priests from the diocese of Pao between June 12 and 14, he found that the actual mine site sits on what were once rice fields, which were usurped illegally fomm the farmers.

He added that on April 30, Archbishops John Du paid a visit to local people who have blocked the water flow to the mining site to draw attention to the severe threat to food security in the area.

Father Gariguez reported that at one point, Nicua Mining blocked the river outflow into the lake, which the local people reported resulted in two fish kills between March and May this year.

At the request of the people, the Mines and Geosciences conducted testing in the lake, but exonerated the mining company from any blame.

However, a second test carried out by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources reveals that the fish kills were caused by domestic pollution and aquaculture practices, as well as contamination from the excavation of magnetite.

The laboratory analysis shows an over concentration f oil and grease in the lake, far above what is considered viable for fish life.

Local people are also pointing out the aside from the pollution of the lake, the round-the-clock operations of the mining company uses vast amounts of water, which is robbing the irrigation channels to the agricultural land of any flow.

As a result, once rich and fertile food producing areas are being turned into virtual deserts. Father Gariguez points out thast this is a violation of the Project Assessment Tool, which was agreed to by the company and requires it to be responsible for ensuring the fertility of the soil and the rehabilitation off areas suitable for agriculture.

The winner of the international Goldman Environmental Prize said that he spoke with representatives of the national government during his visit to Lake Bito and reported the fishing and agricultural industries.

The visiting mission also appealed to Leo Jasareno, the director of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, as well as the secretary of the Department of The Laboratory analysis shows an over concentration of oil and greaser in the lake, far above what is considered viable for fish life Agrarian Reform, Ramon Paje, to visit the area within a week.

The regional director of the Department of Agrarian Reform, Eliasem Castillo,is on record as saying,”The actual activity is mining, but the land is still classified as agricultural. These were observed in Leyte and eastern Samar. Without clearance from our office, that can be premature or illegal conversion.”

However, the president of a local people’s organization, Jesus Cabias described the involvement of the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources as being more like a legal representative for Nicua Mining rather than a government bureau charged with responsibility for the protection of the environment.

Father Gariguez noted, “ Chinesenationals are hands on in the operation. They are the ones supervising the mining activities , instructing Filipino workers in a language they do not understand.”

However, he noted that unlike the presence of the Chinese at the Pantag Shoal, the Philippine government is not making any fuss about the issue at all.

“This is an issue of distorted priorities in terms of protecting our ecology against Chinese interest,” Father Gariguez stated.

He concluded that protecting the rights of the poor must always take precedence over corporate greed.

“Genuine development must priorities he need to ensure ecological sustainability over market profitability,” he said.

“We should never sacrifice people or the environment for the short-term benefit of the few,” he concluded.