This story
was taken from Bulatlat, the Philippines's alternative weekly
newsmagazine (www.bulatlat.com, www.bulatlat.net, www.bulatlat.org).
Vol. V, No. 39, November 6-12, 2005
Dousing the
Embers of Hope
The Canadian government is not
taking any drastic action against human rights and environmental abuses of
Canadian mining companies abroad, including the Philippines
By
Jennifer del Rosario-Malonzo
The chances of getting the Canadian government
to act on the proposals of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Foreign
Affairs and International Trade (SCFAIT) to check Canadian mining firms' conduct
in underdeveloped countries were slim. Yet it was a glimmer of hope for people
affected by mining operations in the Philippines, such as the indigenous Subanon
community in Mindanao, who have been complaining about the activities of TVI
Pacific, Inc. This glimmer has been eclipsed a few days ago.
Despite the urging of prominent Canadians,
environmentalists and human rights advocates, the Canadian government is not
taking any drastic action against human rights and environmental abuses of
Canadian mining companies abroad. On October 18, 2005, after four months of
deliberation, the government of Canada released Mining in Developing
Countries– Corporate Social Responsibility, which dismissed the SCFAIT
recommendations to adopt regulatory measures and instead left the fate of people
and the environment on the voluntary goodwill of mining firms.
Three days earlier, on the sidelines of a mining
conference in Manila, Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines Peter Sutherland
was quoted saying, "We will support TVI in every ways we can as we consider this
matter (local opposition to TVI) as a purely private sector initiative to
resolve." This reliance on the voluntary approach to corporate social
responsibility is precisely why transnational corporations boldly violate human
rights and degrade the environment in the name of profit.
The SCFAIT report was a product of several
parliamentary hearings from March to June this year. The report expressed deep
concern on the possible impact of Canadian mining company TVI Pacific Inc. on
the Subanon community and the human rights of people living around TVI's mining
project in Canatuan, Zamboanga del Norte in Southern Philippines.
The hearings had several witnesses– including
Canadian experts and NGO representatives, as well as two representatives of the
Subanon community– and also received written communications from community
organizations and individuals, who raised serious concerns about: (1)
environmental, social and political impact of the project; (2) the impact of the
project on indigenous rights and the human rights of the people living in the
area; (3) TVI Pacific's use of military-trained-and-controlled forces, which has
allegedly led to militarization of the region and related human rights abuses;
and (4) the support TVI has received from the Canadian government.
The committee recommended that the government of
Canada "conduct an investigation of any impact of TVI Pacific's Canatuan mining
project in Mindanao on the indigenous rights and the human rights of people in
the area and on the environment, and table a report on this investigation in
Parliament within 90 days; and ensure that it does not promote TVI Pacific Inc.
pending the outcome of this investigation."
The report said, "the hearings have underlined
the fact that mining activities in some developing countries have had adverse
effects on local communities, especially where regulations governing the mining
sector and its impact on the economic and social wellbeing of employees and
local residents, as well as on the environment, are weak or non-existent, or
where they are not enforced."
The Canadian government's response to this
recommendation was to point to the Canadian National Contact Point for the OECD
Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises for a formal submission on the conduct
of TVI Pacific in order for a dialogue to be arranged. But the Subanon people do
not need a dialogue; they need justice and protection.
It also passed the buck on the Philippine
government to ensure corporate compliance with domestic and international law.
But it is precisely because regulations are weak in Third World countries like
the Philippines that the committee recommended Canada to take action. The Arroyo
government, for instance, has long been urged to
hold
mining companies liable for their environmental and social crimes instead of
pursuing mining investors, but to no avail.
People's Resistance to TVI
Pacific
The Canatuan project mines a gold and
copper-rich deposit and is TVI Pacific's most advanced mining project in the
Philippines. TVI Pacific started its operations at Canatuan in December 2002 by
supposedly initiating a clean up of the extensive environmental and social
degradation created by the small-scale miners previously operating at Canatuan.
This is seen as part of their effort to earn the trust of the people and
discredit the small-scale miners in the area.
TVI Pacific's previous attempts had been stalled
by protests from the indigenous Subanon community represented through their
organization the Siocon Subanon Association Inc. (SSAI), as well as local
small-scale miners.
Locals alleged that the company imposed an
economic blockade barring the entry of essential goods, which caused great
hardship and human rights violations including shootings. There were also
reports that leaders of the indigenous community who oppose TVI's mining
operations have been singled out for attacks.
The community also complained that coastal
fisheries and fish farming in the fields and estuaries downstream from the mine
are already being affected by run-off from the cyanide processing plant. IBON
Features/Posted by Bulatlat © 2005 Bulatlat
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Alipato Publications Permission is granted to reprint or redistribute this article, provided its author/s and Bulatlat are properly credited and notified.
Canadian Gov't
Fails to Address Mining Abuses in RP
Ibon Features
Posted by Bulatlat