MANILA, Philippines - If engineer Louie Sarmiento, president of the Philippine Mine Safety and Environment Association, had his way, he would give hundreds of thousands of miners who breathe life into the mining industry the break they badly need.
Sadly, many of them are at the losing end when it comes to health, safety and employment issues. They have long been ignored even though they put their lives on the line for their families and work hard for the country’s economic development.
“Miners have to stand up and be counted. This is just not a fight for the large-scale investors or small-scale mining operators. But we are battling for the rights of all mine workers. These include hundreds of thousands of Filipinos from host and neighboring communities who will benefit from employment, livelihood and basic social services as well as Filipinos from other provinces who will benefit from development projects funded by mining taxes and revenues,†said Sarmiento, head of the Ang Minero party-list group.