Move for 50-year Marinduque mining moratorium hailed

Environmental advocates yesterday hailed the move of the Marinduque provincial council to adopt a resolution of a Church-based organization seeking a 50-year mining moratorium in the province.

Defend Patrimony, a broad alliance of environmental groups and mining-affected people, believes that the resolution of the Marinduque Council for Environmental Concerns (MACEC) is a big blow to the mining liberalization program of the government.

MACEC’s resolution, which also condemned the Supreme Court’s decision reversing the unconstitutionality of some provisions of the Philippine Mining Act of 1995, was adopted by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Marinduque on Oct. 28.

"President Arroyo and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources have been trying to re-open large-scale mining in the island despite the environmental devastation and suffering of the many victims of the 30-year disaster and the demands of Marinduqueños to stop large-scale mining in the province," said Clemente Bautista Jr., convenor of Defend Patrimony, an active campaigner against the government’s mining liberalization program.

According to Bautista, the administration is even dangling the $1-billion San Antonio Copper Mine Project to foreign mining corporations.

The 764-hectare San Antonio mine area is under the Mineral Sharing Production Agreement (MPSA) of the Marcopper Mining Corp., a major partner of Placer Dome Inc. (PDI).

It is one of the 24 priority mining projects of the Arroyo administration, which was projected to generate $100 million in investments.

"People’s actions can raise the level of this victory by pressing the provincial government to transform the resolution into an ordinance, as what the provincial governments of Capiz and Mindoro Oriental have done in 1999 and 2002, respectively," Bautista said.

"This way, we can seal the issue of re-opening the mines to foreign mining corporations in Marinduque," he added.

Last week, MACEC executive secretary Myke Magalang articulated before the provincial board the resolution of the organization calling for a mining moratorium.

Magalang submitted before the provincial board 15,500 signatures of Marinduqueños, opposing the resumption of mining operations in the province.

The MACEC also submitted to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan the Pastoral Letter of Bishop Reynaldo Evangelista, D.D. and resolutions from the Sangguniang Bayan of Boac, Mogpog, Gasan, Buenavista, and Torrijos, which all vehemently oppose the re-entry of mining companies in Marinduque.

It was likewise proposed under the MACEC resolution that the abandoned mining area previously managed by Marcopper Mining Corp. be declared as a provincial special economic zone in order to effectively implement the spirit and intent of a 50-year mining-free policy in the province.

According to MACEC, certain portions of the Central Marinduque Area should be declared as provincial special agricultural zone, special biodiversity protected area, special eco-tourism zone, and other special areas as may be determined by an appropriate provincial land use policy in order to strengthen such legislation.

"Our people are still agonizing. Our rivers and the surrounding seas remain poisoned and polluted. The people, especially women and children are reeling from toxic diseases and illnesses brought by irresponsible mining operations," Magalang pointed out.

"Worse, there is still the imminent disaster posed by the unstable mining structures left by Marcopper-PDI and the government," he added.