Filipino Bishop speaks before London Parliament on Mining

EPISCOPAL Commission on Social Action, Justice and Peace (ECSA-JP) Chair and Bishop of Marbel Most Rev. Dinualdo Gutierrez, DD, spoke on mining issues in the Philippines on September 18, in a public forum in London Parliament.

The meeting was chaired by a member of Parliament Clare Short, who led a fact-finding delegation in the country in 2006 to investigate the impact of destructive mining practices on poor communities and the environment.

Gutierrez discussed the controversial revitalized mining priority program (EO 270) of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo that encourages further entries of foreign mining companies to explore the countries natural resources.

Applying the See-Judge-Act methodology, Gutierrez presented before his audience the status of mining industry in the country, and how it contributed in environmental degradation and destruction of people’s livelihood.

He also presented cases of mining companies whose non-compliance to government regulations have left both communities and environment devastated. He cited as examples the cases of Lafayette in Rapu-rapu, Albay, TVI in Siocon, Zamboanga and Marcopper in Boac.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) have been very critical of the so-called 24 Priority Mining Projects of the government and called for the closure of large scale mining projects.

In its pastoral letter issued in January 2006, the CBCP said “the promised benefits of mining by these transnational corporations are outweighed by the dislocation of communities especially among our indigenous brothers and sisters, the risks to health and livelihood, and massive environmental damage.”

Last May, the Mindanao bishops joined forces and staged protests to stop the open-pit copper and gold mining operation of Xstrata, an Anglo-Swiss company, in Tampakan, South Cotabato.

Gutierrez said the mining activities pose great hazards to the environment and will displace the indigenous people of his diocese.

Speaking before an international forum, Gutierrez hopes to bring to the international community a greater awareness of the evils that destructive mining practices havoc on the environment and the lives of people.