An Object of Envy

 

Mining of our Natural Resources

Bane or Boon?                                                                                                                                             By: dodong 

Our place is not blessed with natural resources like gold deposits in Placer, Tubod and Claver Municipalities which have been the host for the exploration and the exploitation by big Corporations. Ours is just adjacent to these places of well known site of mines. We are somehow puzzled over why we are bereft of any industrial developments or advancements but even then the minimal benefits derived from employment of these mining companies extended to our community. Our local government is not one of the direct recipients of the tax and fees made by the exploration or exploitation of these mineral resources but although we are not directly affected, generally we are affected when the mother nature is wantonly destroyed, the mountains are totally effaced and put no one to exception to the adverse effects brought in by these mines.

In one of the speeches of Senator Aquilino Pimentel, Jr. entitled “Mining in the Philippines: Bane or Boon”-(to give you an insight-bane is anything destructive or ruinous; and boon is good thing or bestowed blessing) I find it relevant to quote here in one of the very significant remarks he made: “It is so easy to mouth self-serving paeans to the bounty that the industry brings to the people. But it is difficult to believe it when you continue to see thousands of our people working in the mining pits or residing nearby still visibly mired in poverty.” The observation he made and the real situation in the mining site which gave reasons to our apprehensions are but worthy of our attention and close scrutiny.

In any mines for natural resources may it be gold, copper, silver, nickel and the likes, the mining companies acknowledge that their business operations have some form of environmental implications. In the case of gold mines which proliferate like mushrooms in our neighboring localities, let us be concerned by making ourselves vigilant of what had transpired in the mining operations. It would be wise for us if we know the nature of the mining and how mineral processing is done and what are the possible consequences that might result due to the volumes of mining wastes. The chemical characteristics of the waste (particularly mobility of metal constituents) are often of much concern. The crushed rocks may passed through the processing plant to extract the desired product is discharged from the tail end of the plant as the waste tailings, and in many parts of the world forms the greatest volume of mine waste. Tailing dams and embankment dams designed to retain water, have enabled many of the design techniques used with embankment dams to be applied to produce safe tailing dams, but despite great improvements, there has been a reported failure of a tailing dam. The damage caused by these failures is in the form of human casualties, destruction of property, disruption of communications and pollution of the environment. The extent of damages to river systems and farmlands resulting from the discharge of mine tailings, socio-economic dislocation of families and indigenous people in mining areas are enormous.

In Boyongan exploration of Surigao del Norte, the following stakeholder’s issues are noted

1. Since September 1995, when 12 people were buried, when a waste pond operated by a different mining company collapsed in Placer, Surigao del Norte, various exploration works in the province met opposition from local government units and NGOs. Some mining companies have been accused of manipulating community people by employing divide-and-rule tactics and of lacking in transparency.

2. In 1999, an exploration permit was issued to Silangan Mindanao Exploration Company Inc., a joint venture of Philex Gold Philippines Inc., and Anglo-American Exploration Philippines Inc., to conduct exploration works in Tubod, Surigao del Norte.

3. The St. Peter Catholic Parish Priest was working to have exploration permits cancelled. The Priest was concerned about the social effects of mining on the residents and has quoted the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) statement of concern on mining regarding its so called devastating effects. Past mining experiences in the country, including knowledge of past mining practices in the locality, make the priest and the community suspicious and vigilant of the company.

I proceed to disclose this following, not long ago, the provinces of Surigao has been the site of some worst excesses in mining, among them:

1. November 20, 1995 – Coal mine explosion claimed the lives of thirteen workers in Bislig City, Surigao del Sur.

2. April 26, 1999 – Tailing spill from a damaged concrete pipe of a different mining company buried 17 homes and swamped 51 hectares of Riceland in Surigao del Norte.

3. September 2000 – Protests erupted over the impending exploration project of another mining company in the nearby Placer Municipality.


Update of some mining Tailing spills outside the province of Surigao:

1.The biggest reported leakage of waste from a mine owned by the Marcopper, was on 24 March 1996, toxic mine tailings at the rate of 5-10 cubic metres per second were disgorged into the Makulapnit and Boac rivers. Discharge at the rate of 5-10 cubic metres is enough to fill up one dump-truck.The toxic spills immediately caused flash floods which isolated five villages, with a population of 4,400 people, along the far side of the Boac river. One village, Barangay Hinapula, was buried under six feet of muddy floodwater and 400 families had to flee to higher grounds. Their sources of drinking water were contaminated while fish, freshwater shrimp and pigs were killed. Helicopters had to fly in food, water and medical supplies to the isolated villages. Residents of 20 villages out of the 60 villages in the whole province were advised to evacuate their communities.in Boac, Marinduque. 

2.  Philix’s Mining tailings dam spills, report published October 9, 2012.  Despite the 20.6 million metric tons of mine spill reported so far, the destructiveness and the lingering threats of another mine spill have yet to make headlines in the Philippines. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has not released yet a more detailed report on its extent and impact.In a protest action at the Philex’s main office in Ortigas, Kalikasan-People’s Network for the Environment (Kalikasan PNE) and various groups demanded accountability from the mining company over what they call as “the worst mining disaster in the past two decades.”Aside from families immediately affected by the surge of mine tailings previously held in Philex’s tailings dam at Itogon, Benguet, the downriver communities would also have to deal with toxic substances in their waters, fish-kill, loss of livelihood and increased potential for flooding.

 
Is there any reason for us to be envious? We are living witness on how these God given mineral deposits were taken or let’s say had disappeared leaving the environments completely ruined and permanently stained the soils with used oils and other poisonous materials to extract the gold from its original forms like mercury.

We don’t only preserve our patrimony by preventing irreversible degradation of the natural environment but more importantly we are preserving our lives as well… Let’s think of another thrust for our town, be a vanguard to take initiative and active involvement for our community!

But how sure are we that our mineral deposits beneath our mountains are not taken by the Mining Companies operating in nearby towns of Tubod, Placer and Alegria?