Miners dared_Dialogue on responsible mining: Green groups say its all a myth

Manila– The Chambers of Mines of the Philippines received an intriguing challengefrom environmental groups yesterday – to dialogue on their claim of responsiblemining in the Philippines.   AlyansaTigil Mina (ATM), dared the Chamber to give them a slot at the plannedinternational mining conference on sept. 14-16, in Manila, so they can lay downtheir arguments on what a genuine responsible mining project is all about.

“Responsible mining is a myth for us, and ifthe Chamber of Mines are serious in peddling it to investors to come to thePhilippines, we are sure there are interesting items we can discuss with them, ifwe are given a 30-minute slot during their conference”, said JaybeeGarganera, ATM National Coordinator. 

TheChamber of Mines is organizing Mining Philippines 2010 on September 14-16, 2010at the Manila Hotel.  The event hopes tobring together investors, mining companies, geologists, service providers,financial advisers and government officials. The affair will highlight the optimism the mining industry faces, afterreeling off from the financial crisis and looking forward to the continuedsupport of the new administration. 

Theconfab also expects to unveil the proposed Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) framework of the Philippine mining industry, in their attempt tooperationalize responsible mining.

Anti-miningactivists have challenged the revitalization of mining in the Philippines,asserting that communities and the Philippines do not benefit from it due tooverly generous incentives, watering down of environmental requirements, and 100%repatriation of profits to their headquarters. They alleged that mining also introduce conflicts in mining-affectedcommunities and pose serious threats to the fragile ecology of the Philippines.“Given these serious concerns, the onlyresponsible thing for mining investors to do is to keep out of the Philippines”,said Romel de Vera, Campaigns Officer from Legal Rights and NaturalCenter-Friends of the Earth Philippines.

Thereligious sector supported the challenge to the Chamber of Mines.  Fr. Archie Casey, Co-Chair of the JPICC-AMRSP(Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Commission of the Association ofMajor Religious Superiors in the Philippines), said that the mining industryshould agree to this dialogue, “so thatthey can prove that their operations is not unsustainable mining, notirresponsible mining, and not dirty mining”.  The Catholic Church has maintained a strongposition opposing large-scale mining in the Philippines.

Alyansa TigilMina (ATM) is an alliance of mining-affected communities and their supportgroups of NGOs/POs and other civil society organizations who are opposing theaggressive promotion of large-scale mining in the Philippines. The group iscalling for the scrapping of the Philippine Mining Act of 1995 and theenactment of a new mineral management law. They are also pushing for the revocation of EO 270-A and a moratorium onall large-scale mining applications and operations.  (30)