SPECIAL REPORT

Arroyo’s Priority Mining Projects a Boon to TNCs
But small-scale miners will be displaced
Conclusion

Of the Macapagal-Arroyo’s 23 “priority development projects,” five are in the Cordillera region. 

BY WINDEL BOLINGET
Northern Dispatch
Posted by Bulatlat

BAGUIO CITY – President Macapagal-Arroyo’s 10-Point Legacy names 23 priority mineral resource development projects and 37 priority mining exploration projects for investment by foreign transnational corporations (TNCs). 

Of the 23 priority development projects, five are in the Cordillera Region.

The five priority projects in the Cordillera are the Padcal Expansion Project of Philex Mining Corporation and Anglo-American Mining Company in Tuba, Benguet; Teresa Gold Project of the Lepanto Consolidated Mining Co. in Mankayan, Benguet; Far Southeast Gold Project of Lepanto in Mankayan, Benguet; Itogon Gold Project of Itogon Suyoc Mines in Itogon, Benguet; and the Batong Buhay Gold Project of the government in Pasil, Kalinga.

Teresa Gold Project and Padcal Expansion Project are expansion projects of Lepanto and Philex, respectively. Far Southeast Gold Project is a revival of Lepanto’s previous project.  The other two are a revival of two abandoned mines.  As Itogon Suyoc Mines and the government have no capital to reopen these abandoned mines, the project is being sold by the Arroyo administration to foreign mining companies.

Although there are only two EPs approved in the Cordillera, four of the priority exploration projects will be implemented in the region, such as: Conner Copper-Gold Project by Cordillera Exploration of Anglo-American in Apayao; Camp 3 Gold Project by the Northern Luzon Exploration Company of Philex and Anglo-American in Tuba, Benguet; the Gambang Gold Project of Oxiana in Bakun, Benguet; and the Tabuk Copper Project of Wolfland Resources in Kalinga.  Coverage of the Tabuk Copper Project extends to the municipality of Pinukpuk and the Conner Copper-Gold Project to the municipality of Balbalan.

Small-scale gold miners 

Several areas also applied for by big mining companies are small-scale gold mining areas. In the Cordillera, there are around 19,500 small-scale gold miners from 6,300 households. They are found mainly in the municipalities of Itogon, Tuba, and Mankayan in Benguet; Bontoc and Sagada in Mountain Province; Bucloc, Boliney, Daguioman, Licuan-Baay, Malibcong, Lacub, and Tineg in Abra; Balbalan and Pasil in Kalinga.  The entry of foreign mining firms threatens the livelihood of small scale miners who also face displacement.  

Small-scale mining is productive in the Cordillera.  In fact, for the first quarter of 2004, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP – Central Bank of the Philippines) bought 4,825 kgs of gold from small-scale miners through its gold-buying station in Quezon City and 609 kgs from its gold-buying station in Baguio.  

People’s organizations believe that if bad practices among small-scale miners are corrected, small-scale mining can be environmentally-sound unlike the extractive and extractive full-scale mining practiced by TNCs and their local partners. Small-scale mining can also benefit the community of miners if managed and controlled by their community organizations. It is being promoted as a viable peoples’ alternative to the operations of foreign mining companies. 

For its part, the Cordillera People’s Alliance (CPA) sees no hope in the current administration and calls on the Cordillera peoples to defend lands and livelihood against the onslaught of “imperialist mining.” The alliance also said in a statement, “Only through the people’s vigilance, collective and sustained mass actions using various legitimate forms of defense and resistance with broad public support that this form of national oppression and imperialist imposition be prevented.” Northern Dispatch / Posted by Bulatlat