ATM Press Statement on the 2019 SONA

Quezon City - ATM is deeply frustrated that Duterte’s SONA has failed to address the issue of destructive mining.

From being a priority in his first SONA, Mining has been a rhetoric of the Duterte administration, without any concrete action or resolution. In his fourth SONA this 2019, it did not even merit a cursory mention. Coming on the heels of the expiration of the mining contract in Brgy. Didipio, Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya, this silence on mining issues reveal the truth that the pro-environment position of this government is nothing more than lip-service.

Our alliance holds the President accountable for many of his unmet promises about mining, including a policy on the ban on open-pit mining, closure of mining operations with environmental violations and the performance review of all operating mining projects.

In the context of climate change and the water crisis, resolving the mining issues is a national priority, but the President’s SONA failed to deliver.

We laud and support the President’s call for Congress to immediately enact the National Land Use Act of 2019.

While the President did not mention amending the 1987 Constiuion or ChaCha, we reiterate our opposition to any attempt of this initiative. We believe that amending the Constitution might delete the provision of the people’s right to a safe and balanced ecology. Such deletion will open up to more

Foreign exploitation out environment and natural resources. #

For more details:

Jaybee Garganera, ATM National Coordinator – nc@alyansatigilmina.net / (+63917) 5498218