MINDANAO DECLARATION: Defending the Dignity of Life, Securing our Future
MINDANAO DECLARATION
Defending the Dignity of Life, Securing our Future:
REPEAL R.A. 7942, ENACT the Minerals Management Bill,
MORATORIUM on Mining on Large Scale Mining!
AWARE of the current state of the mining industry in the Philippines driven by corporate greed and the existing policy framework promoted by the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and inherited by President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III,
AWARE of the confession of the government that ‘there is no standard resource and environment valuation’ and institutional issues need to be addressed to ensure sustainability of the country’s fragile environment and natural resources’ (Philippine Development Plan 2011-2016, pp. 310, 320-322),
AWARE that harsh effects of mining on water systems, biodiversity, air, land and island ecosystems lead to environmental destructions and disasters aggravating the impacts of hydro-meteorological hazards and threatening agriculture and food security,
AWARE that the Philippines is the most vulnerable to typhoons in the world; ranked third in disaster risk and natural hazards; and sixth considered in extreme risk due to climate change,
AWARE that the mining industry’s available economic data on value added, employment, exports and revenue contributions are aggregated, thus not helpful in economic analysis; and the contribution of mining and quarrying in the Gross Domestic Product of the country, averaged over the years 2000 to 2009, is only 0.9%,
AWARE that mining companies in collaboration with concerned government agencies have been grossly violating human rights of communities and advocates through threats, extra-judicial killings, Investment Defense Force, mining militias, fabricating ‘free, prior and informed consents (FPIC)’, dividing and exploiting indigenous peoples communities and perpetuating other acts degrading human dignity,
AWARE that small-scale miners and workers have been blamed for various environmental disasters by the Chamber of Mines in favor of large mining companies, however, further aware that the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) and other agencies failed to fulfill its mandate to provide technical and, when displaced, extend immediate sustainable economic assistance,
AWARE that the number of local government units who are standing up to oppose mining in their respective jurisdictions is increasing, however, not recognized by the national government and mining companies,
AWARE of the aforesaid REALITIES,
We, therefore, call for the promotion of sustainable, responsible and equitable management and utilization of our natural resources, toward the conservation and protection of the environment and rehabilitation of mined areas.
We call for the REPEAL OF THE MINING ACT OF 1995 (RA 7942) and REVOCATION OF ARROYO’S REVITALIZATION OF THE MINING INDUSTRY (EO 270 and 270-A), which are ANTI-FILIPINO, ANTI-ENVIRONMENT AND VIOLATIVE OF HUMAN RIGHTS,
We call for the ENACTMENT OF THE CONSOLIDATED ALTERNATIVE MINERALS MANAGEMENT BILL pending in the House of Representatives,
We further call for an IMMEDIATE MINING MORATORIUM ON LARGE SCALE MINING and suspension and cancellation, if applicable, of all mining operations, licenses and applications, while the relevant mining policies are being reviewed; and concerned government agencies be held accountable.
With this declaration, we therefore INVOKE
OUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO A BALANCED AND HEALTHFUL ECOLOGY IN THE SPIRIT OF PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE AND INTER-GENERATIONAL RESPONSIBILITY
Reiterating the words of our brother MACLIING DULAG, environmental martyr of the Cordilleras:
“Such arrogance to speak of owning the land, when you shall be owned by it. How can you own that which will outlive you?”
LET THIS DECLARATION RECLAIM THIS LAND FOUGHT FOR BY THE HEROES AND MARTYRS OF THE FILIPINO PEOPLE.
ALL THESE FOR TRUTH, COUNTRY, AND THE COMMON GOOD.
APPROVED BY THE ASSEMBLY DURING THE 2012 International Conference on Mining in Mindanao, January 26 & 27, 2012 at the Ateneo de Davao University, Davao City.
you have cellphones… you have the internet… laptops, desktop pcs, tablets, iphones, tvs, cemented homes, aircons, cars, jeepneys, tricycles, motorcycles, coins, paper (made from machineries), toothpaste, diamond rings, necklaces, earrings, spoons and forks, plates, clothes, watches, toys… buildings, projectors, projector screens, laser pointers, chalk, eraser boards…. all are directly or indirectly by-products of mining… so wHy? i am not saying we should not protect the environment… but if you really really think about it… our whole existence is a threat to it…. so by all this, do you mean to say we sacrifice our development over the environment?
also, large-scale mining is opted over small scale is for one: (1) they can and will be able to take responsibility for their area (2) better mining practices (3) do mine site rehabs
can we not find ways to compromise? at this point in time, we are pretty much dependent on mining. you know this, we know this, so again WHY? is this the sole solution to all those corruption, human rights violation, etc? will it really end with mining being banned?
yes to food security. what will happen to our farmers and farms if we give our lands to mining!
i only ask that we look at both sides of the truth and decide on how to resolve this. furthermore, we don’t “give all the lands to mining” as you put it. again i ask you this:
can we not find ways to compromise? at this point in time, we are pretty much dependent on mining. you know this, we know this, so again WHY? is this the sole solution to all those corruption, human rights violation, etc? will it really end with mining being banned?
just a little food for thought…. where do our farmers live? don’t they use machines too? what about their irrigation systems? don’t they use cement to enhance them?
a little info:
mining is the process of extracting materials (your economic minerals) from the earth…. it includes metalliferous (e.g. copper, au) and nonmetalliferous (e.g. sand, gravel, sulfur, oil, other cement materials) ores.
yes, even the gravel and sand which we use to build roads, houses, etc. are being mined. because i am a beneficiary of mining, i would like to promote responsible mining which for the most part has been practised by the deplored large-scale mining companies. It might be true though that there is a need to review and revise the Mining Act of 1995 and thus I am quite interested in seeing the proposed bill.
look, mining wont eat the most of your lands, and if people like would want to live like Stone age people then you should tell us to stop mining, oh, i forgot, even the stone age people use stones to catch their food, light up their fire and write on caves. you could still call that as mining. You know what the thing we call Environmentalism? Is now a RELIGION! You people are blaming the sins of the industry in the past, of which you have benefited from it.
HYPOCRITES.. Even the computer you used to post this is a product of mining.
But please do not drag the entire Mindanao on your idealistic campaigns… You cannot claim to represent 21M of the population…
Hindi naman ito Hypocrisy, oo kailangan talaga nang mina para sa “development” pero maraming loop holes at one-sided ang kasalukuyan na mga batas. Kailangan itigil muna ang mining at bigyang diin ang pag-gawa nang FAIR na batas para may benepisyo naman tayo. May data ako na 1% lang nang GDP at contribution nang whole mining industry sa Pilipinas (at kung mag advertise about mining akala mo kung ano talaga ang nabigay nito para sa Pilipino: jobs, tax, etc. na parang exhiting!). Pero ang realidad more for the few, less for the many pa rin talaga. Comments are enjoined.
And just for the record, hindi ako yung alex sa taas na nag comment hehe
[...] and the academe. The two-day confab was ADDU’s continuing bold engagement, after hosting the International Conference on Mining in Mindanao (“Mina para sa Nasudnong Interes sa Katawhang Pilipino?”) in January of this year, to generate [...]