February 11, 2010

Press Release

GREEN GROUPS DISMAY ON NEW APPOINTED DENR SECRETARY:

Horacio Ramos appointment a bad fung shui!

MANILA, Philippines – Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM), an advocacy group and people’s movement composed of more than eighty (80) organizations from mining-affected communities and civil society organizations nationwide, expressed dismay over the appointment of longtime Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) director Horacio Ramos as the new Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) secretary.

“We were in aghast to know that the longtime MGB director Horacio Ramos is now the DENR secretary. His appointment as DENR Secretary is a ‘bad fung shui’ or bad omen to the current unhealthy state of the Philippine environment, which is threatened by the impacts of 348 mining tenements equivalent to 744,199 hectares across the country,” said ATM national coordinator Jaybee Garganera.

“We fear that Ramos, as an appointee of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who championed the Mining Act of 1995 and the aggressive promotion of mining in the country, will pursue the crime of irrational exploitation of our natural resources and turn a blind eye and deaf ears to the legitimate resistance of mining affected communities and environmental groups,” added Garganera.

“This appointment of Horacio Ramos as DENR secretary has great implications on the direction of the DENR – no moving away from the current, that of facilitating the unrelentless exploitation of mines, based on profit, on greedy consumption mostly of northern countries. This is a continuing bad news for us, particularly the communities,” said Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center executive director Judy Pasimio.

“How can a mining lover like Horacio Ramos lead in saving our environment from total destruction? Ramos has worked in connivance with Norewegian-based Intex Resources to pursue the nickel project strongly opposed by local government officials, Mangyan indigenous groups, Catholic Church leaders and residents of Mindoro,” said Fr. Edu Gariguez, Alyansa Laban sa Mina (ALAMIN) spokesperson, who went on a hunger strike in protest of the Mindoro Nickel project last year.

“We are heartbroken to know about Horacio Ramos’ appointment! Under his leadership as MGB director, MGB issued a certification that the Intex’ project is outside the watershed, wherein fact the mine site is within the critical watershed,” exclaimed Fr. Gariguez.

“It’s a blatant statement of how Arroyo administration is pursuing pro-mining policy while undermining peoples opposition and sacrificing fragile environment to accommodate destructive investment,” added Fr. Gariguez.

Blas Tabaranza, Executive Director of the environmental group HARIBON said, “We are dismayed at his appointment as this threatens our conservation efforts but we hope that the appointment of Horacio Ramos will still keep the dialogue between civil society organizations and DENR open.”

From the Diocese of Tandag in Surigao del Sur, Sr. Lydia Lascano from the Social Action Center expressed her dismay.  “The appointment of Horacio Ramos is unfortunate! It dashed to the ground all my hopes for the protection and preservation of the environment and natural resources in the Philippines”, she said.

ATM is convened by HARIBON, Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center – Friends of the Earth Philippines (LRC/FOEI) and PhilDHRRA. (30)

For more information:

BlasTabaranza, HARIBON Exec. Director,  (0922) 815.20.21

Judy Pasimio, LRC Executive Director, (0917) 526.83.41

Fr. Edward Gariguez, ALAMIN spokesperson, (0919) 800.55.95

Sr. Lydia Lascano, Social Action Center (SAC)  Director, Diocese of Tandag, Surigao Sur (0919) 341-60-23

Jaybee Garganera, ATM Coordinator, (0915) 315.37.19, <nc@alyansatigilmina.net> 

Roslyn Arayata, ATM Policy & Advocacy Officer, (0917) 521.7937, <policy@alyansatigilmina.net>