A regional network of environmentalists called on international human rights bodies to pay close attention and actively condemn humans rights violations committed by governments and mining corporations during the pandemic and the recovery period to follow.
“We won’t be fooled by the pretext that reopening our natural resources to large-scale mining would help revive the pandemic-battered economy as it would inflict serious damage than repair.”
“With government pronouncements that the influx of 100 new projects would generate P21 billion ($433 million) worth of revenue, it is estimated that this will cost around P210 billion ($4.3 billion) worth of minerals that will be shipped offshore instead of circulated in the domestic economy.”
These companies represent the last link in the global supply chain between Philippine natural resources and foreign markets. Meanwhile, Filipinos are kept out of any profits and instead get grief, disease, and harassment thrown their way.
“It is infuriating that the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte has done more to care for large-scale mining corporations than to respond to the millions of Filipinos becoming increasingly facing starvation, police brutality, and unchecked contamination of the COVID-19 virus.”
With no substantive discussion on the broad array of Oceanagold’s rights violations of commission, omission, and lack of due diligence, the hearing resulted in a sham proceeding that served as nothing but the latest stunt of Oceanagold to worm out of its track record of violations and injustices. It became their platform to call for the renewal of its Financial or Technical Assistance Agreement, which expired eight months ago and its renewal challenged precisely because of the mine’s plethora of violations.
“For 25 years, Oceanagold was like a never-ending storm that has lashed at us.”
“The ecological agriculture that landless farm workers have painstakingly carved out of the vast monoculture plantations of Negros sugar barons have been irrigated with blood and bullets.”
“…[t]hese potentials are being challenged by different environmentally destructive projects and interventions and intensified extraction of natural and mineral resources. Our sovereignty over our natural resources is being bastardized. “
The peace park is an expression and integration of Karen people’s right to self-determination, natural resource management, environmental protection, and good governance.
Will the economy collapse as the big mines are closed?