ATM in the News - CHR Serenade and the Aroroy, Masbate Situation

Anti-mining residents thank CHR through song

Residents from mining-affected communities serenaded Commission on Human Rights (CHR) officials Monday to express their gratitude to the agency that has listened to their concerns.

"This is not a protest, I want to clarify that. We are expressing gratitude because CHR has been accommodating to us since August last year. At the same time we also want to just remind CHR, not to forget us despite their big, high-profile cases now," Jesus Garganera, national coordinator of the Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM, Alliance against Mining), told INQUIRER.net.
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ATM urged CHR to continue its support to victims of human rights violations, committed by large-scale mining companies that threatened the lives and properties of marginalized and indigenous peoples.

Garganera said the serenade served as a "kick-off" event for the week-long Anti-Mining Solidarity week hosted by ATM.

ATM is a coalition of mining-affected communities, non-government organizations, private organizations, church, and other support groups against the threat of mining to people’s livelihood.

The Masbate Situation - Association of Concerned Residents of Aroroy vs. Filminera Mining Corp.-Central Gold Asia Ltd.

Masbate mining firm chaplain forsakes perks to join protesters

The chaplain of a Masbate-based mining firm quit his post in protest over the firm's activities, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines said Wednesday night.

An article on the CBCP website (www.cbcpnews.com) said chaplain Fr. Edgar Monforte resigned and joined protests against Filminera Mining Corp.-Central Gold Asia Ltd. in Aroroy, Masbate.

It said this came amid protests and mass rallies that started on March 14, and supported by the Church, non-government organizations, farmers, fisherfolk and concerned residents.

Alyansa Tigil Mina’s Rodne Galicha said Fr. Monforte, who receives a monthly honorarium and a luxurious rectory courtesy of FMC-CGA, resigned in favor of the clamor to close the mining company.

Villagers protest Aussie firm's open-pit mining in Masbate

Led by the Association of Concerned Residents of Aroroy (ACRA), residents and religious have been holding protest actions since Saturday against the open-pit mining operations of Makati-based Filminera Resource Corp.

ACRA Chairman Marcial Velasco said they fear Filminera company's open-pit mining operations will destroy the environment, possibly resulting to a toxic waste spillage, since the mining firm uses cyanide in gold ores processing.

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He said a river in Barangay Panique in Aroroy is already “doomed” because of the operation. He added that two more rivers may also be affected by the Australian company’s operation.
 
Aside from the environmental degradation, Velasco added that Aroroy town will not benefit from the multi-billion peso mining investment since the company has filed a tax holiday, making them exempt from paying any taxes.