Filipino activists to hold forum on mining, human rights

Filipino activists to hold forum on mining, human rights 

Australian mining companies are bringing in the dollars to the country. Meanwhile, the Philippine government is encouraging of any partnership between international and local mining firms to tap into its rich natural reserves. 

But are these partnerships all for the good?

This is the question that will be explored in an upcoming summit about mining, human rights and the environment, which is organised for students in Australia. 

The Students of Sustainability 2009 (SoS'09) is hosting a forum on the widespread mining in the Philippines by multinational mining companies, and the impacts on communities and the environment at Monash University (Room H1), Melbourne, Victoria on 09 July 2009 at 2.15pm. 

The forum will feature Philippine activists Myke Magalang and Rodne Galicha, who are both well versed in the issues of mining and have used local, national and international forums to get justice for the wrongs inflicted by mining. 

This talk, according to the event organisers, will provide a deep insight into the impacts of mining, look at accountability of multinational corporations and human rights, as well as share a wealth of knowledge that speakers Myke and Rod have gained in their struggles.

Myke is from Boac in the Philippines' Marinduque Island and has fought against a Placer Dome mine, which pumped waste into the ocean for close to 40 years and has had a number of devastating spillages of waste into rivers. The worlds biggest gold mining company, Barrick Gold, now owns this mine. Myke works as Executive Director for the Marinduque Council for Environmental Concerns.

Rod, from Sibuyan Island in the Philippines, is currently opposing a BHP prospected mine. He works as a Sites of Struggles Officer with a large network for social development called Philippine Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Areas (PhilDHRRA) under the project Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM). This project opposes the aggressive promotion of large-scale mining in the Philippines. 

Rod is also one of the leaders of Sibuyanons Against Mining / Sibuyan Island Sentinels League for Environment Inc. (SAM/Sibuyan ISLE), which aims to save the 445-square-kilometre Sibuyan Island’s biodiversity, dubbed as the Galapagos of Asia.

Rod and Myke led the organisation of an inter-island collaboration mechanism for the 3 island provinces of Marinduque, Occidental and Oriental Mindoro, and Romblon. Both of them are official delegates to the Asia-Pacific Summit of Climate Change with the Nobel Laureate Al Gore. There are only three participants from the Philippines in the said summit, the other one is Philippine Chief Public Attorney, Presilda Rueda-Acosta.

Students of Sustainability (SoS) is a five-day camping conference which is open for anyone interested, especially students from all over Australia who have a passion for creating a more ecologically and socially sustainable world. 

The conference began in Canberra in 1991 under the name “Students, Science and Sustainability”. This first conference attracted 300 students to discuss matters of sustainability with respect to students and science. 

Throughout the past 17 years, interest and enthusiasm for the conference has grown, and the number of participants has steadily and exponentially increased. As SoS moves around the country, it spreads its unique, life-affirming, change-making energy to the University and community that hosts it. SoS is organised by Australian Environment Student Network (ASEN).

Source:http://www.philippinetimes.com.au/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=1&twindow=&mad=&sdetail=2916&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=1759&hn=philippinetimes&he=.com.au