Anti-mining groups slam irregular consultation of mining companies

Environmental advocates representing indigenous peoples, farmers, women, youth and elderly from affected communities have denounced the public scoping consultation recently conducted by two mining companies in Palawan.

Amid accusation of bribery and collusion with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), anti-mining groups slammed the highly irregular joint public consultation by MacroAsia Corporation and Ipilan Nickel Corporation (INC) at Barangay Mambalot, Brooke’s Point, Palawan on March 13.

“This process relentlessly favors mining companies, which share the expenses in the conduct of a joint public consultation, limits the time for public scrutiny or inquiry for each proponent, breeds questionable stakeholders representation and has an irregular and confusing social acceptability standard procedure,” said Jaybee Garganera, national coordinator of Alyansa Tigil Mina.

Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM) is an advocacy group on environmental and human rights issues and people’s movement, composed of more than 80 organizations from mining-affected communities and civil society organizations nationwide.

“How DENR allowed this joint public consultation of MacroAsia and INC came no surprise to us knowing that this happened under the leadership of pro-mining longtime Mines and Geosciences Bureau director, now DENR chief Horacio Ramos, who is determined to fast-track all mining applications and process before the Arroyo Administration ends,” added Garganera.

Artiso Mandawa, National Coordinator of Ancestral Land/Domain Watch (ALDAW), said the joint consultation was an obvious attempt to fast track the issuance of the environmental compliance certificate (ECC) to mining companies to fully operationalize their operations.

He said the joint consultation demonstrated irregularities that should not be taken lightly by authorities and stakeholders.

“Originally, people were informed that a separate public consultation of MacroAsia and INC will be facilitated. The mine projects of MacroAsia and INC are both located in Brooke’s Point and to a certain extent the proponents have the same affected areas such as Barangay Ipilan but this should not be the basis for the joint consultation,” said Mandawa.

Earlier, INC conducted a consultation with local government units but failed to get social acceptability from the barangays of Ipilan, Maasin, Mambalot and Calasaguen, Mandawa said.

The law provides that a mining company should allow an interval of one year before it can conduct another consultation with concerned stakeholders.

“We fear that INC is riding with MacroAsia’s consultation with the attempt to bypass this restriction with the help of DENR,” Mandawa said.

Meanwhile, those who attended the consultation were given P200 each as an incentive. Mambalot barangay captain Aderna Erlinda Edep, a pro-mining advocate admitted the mining companies did so to encourage attendance.

“It is really shameful how these mining companies manipulate our people with bribery. With the impacts of El Niño causing prices of food to rise, poor people easily succumbed to the Php 200.00 offer,” added Mandawa.

Palawan NGO Network Incorporated advocacy officer Beth Maclang said more than 3,000 people attended the joint public consultation.

“We fear that they will use this number to declare a successful consultation without taking into account the real stand of majority of people’s strong opposition to mining,” Maclang said.

But affected communities showed their strong opposition to the mining projects. Environmental Legal Assistance Center (ELAC) legal officer Atty. Edward Lorenzo said mining companies have already consulted the people of Brooke’s Point three times and thrice they failed to get the people’s nod on the project.

The mining companies’ proposed area of operation falls in “core zone” area, inside the newly-declared Mt. Mantalingahan Protected Landscape (MMPL) where mining is not allowed.

Lorenzo said the law prohibits mining at Brooke’s Point because it will encroach on areas under maximum protection defined under the Strategic Environmental Plan for Palawan (Republic Act 7611).

“Ninety per cent (90%) of the mining operations are situated in ‘core zones’ – areas above 1,000 meters in elevation, virgin forests or primary growth forests, areas with steep gradient (above 50% slope), and critically threatened/endangered habitats and habitats of rare endangered species or habitats of Palawan local endemic species of flora and fauna,” added Lorenzo.

Fr. Joseph Cacacha, parish priest of Our Lady of Lourdes, also criticized the joint consultation conducted by mining companies saying their strategy only showed they wanted to rush the process to their advantage.

“The term of known pro-mining Mayor Cesareo R. Benito Jr. is about to end and these mining companies fear that they will have a more difficult time to get the social license they need and/or LGU support in the next administration,” Cacacha said.

At least 2,000 anti-mining advocates from concerned barangays in Brooke’s Point have attended the public consultation spearheaded by ALDAW Network to discuss the issue.

ALDAW, an advocacy-campaign network of Indigenous Peoples jointly constituted by NATRIPAL (United Tribes of Palawan) and BANGSA PALAWAN PHILIPPINES (Indigenous Alliance for Equity and Wellbeing), held the consultation in cooperation with the Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, PNNI, ELAC and other environmental groups.