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
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pls correct typo: Filipino
pls correct typo:
Filipino activitists
Mining can build a nation, and lift its people to greater levels
For god sake you so called protectors of the earth.
Your country is a poor and desperate place. All you see from the airport to the center of the city and beyond is ragged poor people living in squaller and filth.
You have an almost uncountable number of your people working as slaves in other countries to support you. While your selfish stupid manner remains, mothers will live apart from their families, young girls go into prostitution, robbery, murder, muggings, are all a part of keeping your country poor. The reason for the desperation to a high degree is NO WORK, or the pay is below what they can support a family, so criminal activity grows.
The rest of the world mines its resources and the country is better for it. You people scream environmental damage and any reason you find to stop mining. You have a major supporter in the church, as it wants the people to continue as per all other predominantly catholic countries. POOR and SUBSERVIENT to the church.
Firstly get some brains and guts to see what you are doing to YOUR country and YOUR people. There are most certainly issues with mining in some areas, but certainly not enough to hold the entire Philippines to ransom. Please Please go away and have a long hard look at what you are doing out of spite or is it jealousy. Please help your country and its lovely people to move forward. I am not in mining, I just like to see things as they are.
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