Bulatlat - The Philippines's alternative weekly newsmagazine

This story was taken from Bulatlat, the Philippines's alternative weekly newsmagazine (www.bulatlat.com, www.bulatlat.net, www.bulatlat.org).
Vol. VII, No. 10, April 15-21, 2007

Forest Destruction due to Mining – Cordillera NGO

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) blames the expansion of agricultural lands for the decrease of forest cover while the Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) points to large-scale mining as the major cause of forest destruction in the region.

BY MA. LEONEZA B. RIGONAN
Northern Dispatch
Posted by Bulatlat

BAGUIO CITY – Who is telling the truth?

DENR Director Augusto D. Lagun admitted that the Cordillera region, known as the watershed cradle of the north, is threatened by the decrease of forest cover in the area. He said that land use conversion, which transforms forest areas into agricultural land is the major cause of the decrease in the region's forest cover. He added that forest fires and natural removals or illegal logging are also among the causes.

DENR data showed that the region’s remaining forest cover about 665,603 hectares (has.) out of the 1,553,599 has. total forest land area. The same data showed that Abra forest covers 98,790 has. of the 308,522 has. total forest land area; Apayao, 232,199 has. out of 343,627 has.; Benguet, 100,977 has. out of 214,523 has.; Ifugao 72,955 has. out of 224,695; Kalinga, 84,949 has. out of 267,550 has.; and Mt. Province 75,733 has. out of 194,683 has.

However, CPA Vice Chair for Internal Affairs Xavier Akien stressed that mining operations and not the expansion of agricultural land is the major cause of decrease in the region's forest cover. He said that large-scale mining operations have irreversible effects like dislocation and devastation of agricultural lands, deforestation and even loss of livelihood.

He said that there is a 60-percent decrease in the region’s rice production due to air and water pollution and total devastation of major river systems brought about by mining operations. He cited the Lepanto Consolidated Mining Corporation’s operations that, he said, polluted the Abra River, one of the major river systems in the region with pollutants reaching as far as the China Sea.

The CPA has staged several forms of protest against destructive mining and actively campaigns for the total removal of mining companies from the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).

Alyansa Dagiti Pesante Ti Taeng Kordillera (Apit Tako, Peasant Alliance in the Cordillera Homeland) research coordinator Fernando Bagyan said agricultural expansion contributes to the decrease in forest cover but is not the major cause. He said that uma (swidden farming), an indigenous way of farming in the Cordillera is environment-friendly. “(Indigenous peoples) do not cut big trees, they look for open areas,” he explained.

Akien said the DENR should not blame farmers for the decrease of forest cover but instead should point to mining operations, which affect the lives of indigenous people.

“The number of mining applications increased because of the huge resources available in the region. There are even foreign mining companies that are operating locally.” Engr. Alfredo Genetiano, Mining Engineer IV of Mine Management Division said.

Akien said that 66 percent or 1.2 million has. of the 1.8 million has. total land area of the Cordillera region is covered with mining applications. He said Benguet hosts two large-scale mining operations, the Lepanto Consolidated Mining Corporation (LCMC) in Mankayan and Philex Mining Corporation in Itogon and in Tuba. Northern Dispatch / Posted by Bulatlat

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