Bishops meet GMA on mining issue

President Arroyo met with Roman Catholic Church leaders, officials said yesterday, a day after the Philippines’ dominant religion rattled big business with a call for an outright mining ban.

"I think that’s a good sign on the part of the administration that they are willing to dialogue with the bishops about that," said Bishop Antonio Ledesma, vice president of the conclave.

Thirty bishops were bussed into Malacañang late Monday, after the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) urged Mrs. Arroyo to revoke all mining concessions.

The Palace did not release details of the meeting and Ledesma said he missed the meet because of a prior engagement.

He did not reveal the outcome of the meeting, saying the "next moves are probably being carefully studied."

As for the bishops’ other demands, officials said Malacañang is seeking a "constructive dialogue" with the CBCP to clarify issues raised in their pastoral statement and to assure them that the government is addressing their concerns.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita and Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye, in separate statements, said the Palace would like to update the bishops on the Arroyo administration’s efforts to uplift lives of poor Filipinos and to undertake political and electoral reforms.

Bunye said there were many interpretations that could be made of the CBCP’s pastoral statement, depending on the political leanings of those reading it.

"We have our take on the statement but we take the pastoral letter... in all humility and I believe there is room for constructive dialogue between the administration and the members of the CBCP," he said.

Bunye said there were no definite plans yet for a meeting between Mrs. Arroyo and the bishops, but Malacañang "believes that a dialogue is important."

The CBCP, in its pastoral statement, said the truth behind the political controversies surrounding Mrs. Arroyo, including allegations of electoral fraud, remained hidden. The bishops also opposed proposals to scrap the 2007 elections and pushed for reforms in the electoral system.

Ermita said that even before the CBCP came out with its statement, Mrs. Arroyo had already taken steps to implement electoral reforms, starting with the appointment of retired chief justice Hilario Davide Jr. as presidential adviser on electoral reforms.

No backing down

Ledesma assured that the bishops would not retract their position and demands regarding the mining industry.

"We are also concerned over the employment displacement, but in general it’s the open-pit mining" that the bishops are apprehensive about, he said.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita told reporters earlier Monday that the President was willing to give the Church leaders a special briefing on government programs.

Mrs. Arroyo is pinning her hopes on the recent revival of the industry, which expected a 2006 turnover of about $5 billion after being in the doldrums for two decades, to bring jobs and make a dent on widespread poverty.

But the bishops alleged that mining had failed to lift the conditions of host communities and destroyed the environment.

They called for various sectors to help stop the government’s 24 priority mining projects and close down large-scale mining operations such as the Rapu-Rapu polymetallic project in Albay, HPP project in Palawan, Didippio gold-copper project in South Cotabato, Canatuan gold project in Zamboanga del Norte and the San Antonio copper project in Marinduque.

The local mining industry association warned on Monday that the bishops’ sweeping proposal to ban mining would lead to the economic dislocation of 10 million out of 85 million Filipinos who depend on the industry for a living.

But Ledesma believes the mining firms’ claims are an "exaggeration" because "only a few in reality will be affected in terms of job layoff, but that had been considered by the bishops when we formulated the statement.

"There are more fishermen and farmers affected by these mining operations as compared to the employees of multinational companies, who are using large equipment in operations," he said.

Meanwhile, a movement opposed to the liberalization of the mining industry refuted claims by the government and mining firms that the repeal of the mining law and revocation of mining permits would result in economic hardship for the country.

The Defend Patrimony Alliance said there are only 120,000 people employed in mining — less than one percent of the country’s labor force, pegged at 35.86 million in 2004.

Clemente Bautista, who leads the alliance, said the mining industry contributes less than two percent to the gross national product, contrary to claims of huge economic gains from the mining sector.

"There is no truth that foreign mining investment is helping the economy. The millions of dollars in investments poured into mining until now do not generate income to the government and to the people because of liberalization policies," he said.

Bautista said foreign mining companies are fast depleting the country’s mineral resources and raising the risk of environmental tragedies in areas where they operate.

He said the real reason why foreign investors go into the mining industry is because the government has granted them economic privileges and rights, such as 100-percent repatriation of capital and profit; five to nine years of income tax holidays; duty-free importation; and rights to water and timber.

These privileges have allowed mining companies to extract and export billions of dollars worth of minerals annually while the people are left with pollution, toxic waste and health hazards from mining operations, Bautista said. — Edu Punay, Paolo Romero, Katherine Adraneda, AFP