Envi groups denounce mining firms’ support of Sy

Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM) slammed the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines (COMP) and the Philippine Nickel Industry Association (PNIA) for rushing in to support the Chairman of Global Ferronickel Holdings Inc. (FNI), billionaire Joseph Sy, who was recently arrested for allegedly misrepresenting himself as Filipino. 

Jaybee Garganera, ATM National Coordinator said, “We condemn COMP and PNIA for their statements of support for Sy. Instead of allowing the justice system to determine the culpability of Sy, these two mining organizations virtually dismissed serious allegations about Sy’s citizenship and disregarded the laws of the land.”

Sy was apprehended on August 21 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) for using a Philippine passport and other local identity cards when he was allegedly a Chinese citizen.

According to news reports, Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado has stated that Sy was the subject of an investigation based on intelligence reports suggesting he had illegally acquired citizenship documents.

A BI Certification stated that the fingerprints of Joseph Sy in his Philippine Passport and the Alien Certificate of Registration Identity Card of Chen, Zhong Zhen is verified as one and the same person.

“We agree with Senator Risa Hontiveros that this is potentially an Alice Guo 2.0. This has serious implications in our natural resources management as it may involve Chinese manipulation and abuse of mining here in our country,” Garganera said.

FNI’s website states that FNI’s subsidiaries include Platinum Group Metals Corporation (PGMC), Surigao Integrated Resources Corporation, PGMC-CNEP Shipping Services Corp., and PGMC International Limited.

FNI operates the Cagdianao Mine in Surigao and the Ipilan Nickel Mine in Palawan, both under PGMC.

Ipilan Nickel Corporation (INC) has been accused by local communities and environmental advocates in Palawan for circumventing laws and for destroying the environment with its mining operations.

“Given this situation involving the questionable citizenship of the INC’s owner, Joseph Sy, we are calling on the government, particularly the DENR-MGB, to temporarily stop the operations of the mining company in Brooke’s Point, Palawan”, sa Vic Colili, leader of the indigenous group Barongbarong Ipilan Calasaguen Aribongos Maasin Mambalot (BICAMM).

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