The CBCP & the mining industry: A response

Exactly a week ago, we wrote an article about the stand of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on the mining industry and the Reproductive Health bill. Well, I got an e-mailed response to the issue on the mining industry which is quite long and self-explanatory.

“Dear Mr. Avila: Read your great article regarding mining. Mr. Daryl Clark, formerly an executive of Vale Mining, told us last year that the Philippines has the second largest mineral reserves in the world. Vale Mining is the second biggest mining company in the world (Wikipedia). Mining could definitely bring progress to this country as in the case of Australia, since 54 percent of total exports of Australia are minerals.

“This is the reason why the communists declared all-out war against mining because they don’t want the country to progress; keeping the people poor is their main agenda in order to attract the poor to their cause since there are no communists in rich countries. What surprises me is that many bishops and priests of the Catholic Church are allies of the communists in their anti-mining stance. The Catholic Church used to be the main adversary of the communists. While reviewing his troops in Red Square, the Russian leader Josef Stalin mockingly commented: ‘How many divisions does the Pope have?’ The Catholic Church played a major role in the downfall of communism in Eastern European countries like Poland.

“I am stunned that the Catholic Church has allied itself with the Reds not only in its anti-mining stance, but also in land reform, in the continuous increase of our minimum wage which has forced hundreds or even thousands of companies to close down, throwing out millions of workers out in the streets. We now have one of the highest minimum wages in Asia, according to the American Chamber of Commerce; we also have one of the highest unemployment rates in Asia. A survey conducted by the SWS showed that we have a 30 percent unemployment rate though the government official rate is seven percent. 

“Another SWS survey shows that 43 percent of Filipinos consider themselves poor, while another SWS survey in the headlines of Business World a few days ago showed that 21 percent of Filipinos occasionally experience hunger. I am a Catholic myself and have gone to Catholic schools all my life and the stand of the Church on many issues that will benefit the country is perplexing. I would not be surprised if the Church itself has been infiltrated by the Reds; after all the Reds have infiltrated the newspapers, TV, and even Congress, why not the Church since it is very influential in Filipino society? I’m sure that the Reds in the 60s and 70s instructed some of their cadres to enter priesthood in order to infiltrate the Church; some of these cadres probably have high positions in the Church by now. 

“Our own Cardinal Rosales here in Manila seems to ally himself with the Reds on many issues. He recently issued a statement that aerial pesticide spraying in Davao should be stopped since this affects the health of the banana workers. He was contradicted by five bishops in Mindanao who declared that this will force banana plantations to close, throwing out in the streets hundreds of thousands of banana workers. I am sure the Davao City ordinance banning aerial spraying in banana plantations was influenced by the Reds who want to wipe out the banana industry and therefore impoverish banana workers which is the goal of the communists. Our Cardinal is probably not a Red but is certainly naive and easily persuaded by Red propaganda.

“Governor Daisy Fuentes of South Cotabato recently signed an ordinance stopping Sagittarius Mines from starting open pit mining in that province on the grounds that (this) is hazardous to the environment as well as to the health of nearby communities. I understand Atlas Mining in Toledo, Cebu has an open pit copper mine, but I have never heard of any health hazards in the area. Perhaps since you are from Cebu, you can comment on the open pit mining experience of Atlas Mining since you are from Cebu.

“Mr. Daryl Clark told us that large-scale mining is safe since they use cyanide which breaks down to natural elements when exposed to the sun. What is dangerous is small-scale mining since the small miners use mercury in extracting the minerals from the ore. Mercury is very poisonous and stays in the environment for a long time. Regards, Mr. Leo Tecson”

 I fully agree with the letter of Mr. Tecson as this is very similar to my own observations, that is why I wrote that article about the CBCP’s anti-mining stand. Yes, the Atlas Mines in Toledo City has a huge open pit mine, but while I submit that open pit mining is environmentally friendly, the Bigaa Pit was shut down in favor of tunneling which was a more productive way to extract copper. While we can’t pinpoint any health hazards on open pit mining… the biggest problem Toledo City residents faced was when Atlas Mines was shut down by the leftist labor organization that had ties with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

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For e-mail responses to this article, write to [email protected] or [email protected]. Avila’s columns can be accessed through www.philstar.com.