This story
was taken from Bulatlat, the Philippines's alternative weekly
newsmagazine (www.bulatlat.com, www.bulatlat.net, www.bulatlat.org).
Vol. V, No. 23, July 17-23, 2005
Apayao Folk Oppose Anglo-American Mining Firm
A mining company dangled
P100,000 ($1,782.53) and employment opportunities on the poor residents, but the
latter are still unwavering in their stand against its exploration. The company
is still not welcome to explore the area because of the people’s sense of
history.
BY SARAH
DEKDEKEN-SIBAYAN
Conner, Apayao - The Anglo-American
Platinum Corporation (PLC) is not welcome in this town in northern Philippines. Sixty-eight people
belonging to the newly-formed Save Apayao Peoples Organization united to oppose
the exploration of this company which is under the Cordillera Exploration Inc.,
(CEXI) in this province during the Apayao Mining Forum held here from July 8 to
9. The delegates signed a
position paper stating that the impending exploration is a threat to their land
and livelihood. They believe that only a few will benefit from the said
exploration. They believe that
environmental conservation is a better option, rather than sacrificing it for
some short-term benefits. “Let us preserve what we
have now for the future of our children.” said United Church of Christ in the
Philippines (UCCP) Conner chairman Jose Leguiab. “Dumayo da ditoy lugar tayo
nga apan agala ti honey. Addan tu ngata dayta nu matuloy ti minas? (People
come to our place to get honey. Will it still be there if the mines will push
through?)” The Anglo-American Platinum
Corporation (PLC) applied for Exploration Permit Applications (EPAs) in
Barangays Puguin, Karikitan, Kalafug, and Upis, all in Conner. The National
Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and Department of Environment and
Natural Resources-Mines and Geosciences Bureau (DENR-MGB) conducted a series of
consultations with the said barangays in April 2005, where an NCIP Certification
was obtained through a Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), and an
endorsement of barangay officials based on a community consensus. Of the four barangays,
Barangay Karikitan disapproved of the mining exploration. According to an elder
from Karikitan who requested anonymity, “Nakaadal kami iti leksiyon iti
naglabasan ti lugar mi kas koma iti napalabas nga logging a saan nga inmannatop
iti dawat ti umili. Malaksid ditoy, naammoan mi dagiti napaspasamak iti dadduma
nga lugar a naminas idiay asideg ti
Baguio ket dagitoy ti makagapu nu apay nga
iparit mi nga maminas ti lugar mi.
(We learned our lesson from history, such as in logging operations that did not
address the needs of our people. Aside from this, we are aware of what has
happened to these mining communities near Baguio City. These are the reasons why
we do not allow mining in our community.)” The communities and
individuals who favored the exploration said that the company promised to give
P100,000 ($1,782.53, based on an exchange rate of P56.10 for every U.S. dollar)
for every barangay, in exchange for a two-year period of exploration. The
company also assured residents of improvement in the roads and employment
opportunities. “Sino ti agmadi iti pagsayaatan ket agited da met iti gatad,
trabaho ken kalsada? (Who wouldn’t want money, employment, and roads?),” one
respondent asked. Representatives of the four
communities said that MGB and NCIP told them that exploration would only
determine which minerals were present in the said areas. Rodrigo Napigue, an
employee of the DENR Provincial Office, said, “Ti exploration ket pannaka-ammo
nu adda wenno awan ti minerals iti uneg ti daga. (Exploration would only
determine if these lands hold minerals or not)” he said. The application of Anglo
American plc is one of seven EPAs
for the province of Apayao covering a total of 63,158 hectares of land. The
other mining companies are GreenWater Mining Corporation, Coohbalah Mining
Corpionn, Cordillera Exploration Inc., Wolfland Resources, and Copper Fields
Mining Corporation. Nordis/Bulatlat © 2004 Bulatlat
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Northern Dispatch
Posted by Bulatlat