Romblon mining firm blames activists for violence
Anti-mining protesters started the violence that led to the fatal shooting of an activist in Romblon last Wednesday, a mining company said.
Jose Miguel Cabarrus, president of Sibuyan Nickel Properties Development Corp., told reporters Saturday that Arman Marin, 42, a councilor of
Local environmental groups have seized upon Marin’s death as a rallying point, accusing the guard of gunning him down during a peaceful protest.
But Cabarrus said Marin and about a hundred protesters had caused the violence as they were picketing another mining company, Filipinas Top Rock Mines.
“We have already been crucified as the bad guys,” he said, complaining that no one had tried to get their side of the story.
“Our people were not the aggressors. They were not the instigators either. Rather they were the victims,” he added.
Cabarrus said a jeep carrying the guard, Mario Chinalpan Kingo, and three Sibuyan Nickel employees were passing by when the protesters set them upon.
When they tried to turn back, the demonstrators mobbed the vehicle and Marin tried to grab the guard’s gun, causing it to go off and hitting him.
Cabarrus said protesters also beat one of the employees, detaining her until police arrived.
The security guard gave himself up to the police, said Cabarrus, adding that they were gathering information for possible legal action against the protesters.
He also showed a police report indicating that the protesters had fired at the jeep.
Cabarrus said his company was not connected to Filipinas Top Rock, the target of the protests, and that their mining claim was far from the scene of the rally. – AFP
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