By MARY LOU MARIGZA
www.nordis.net

The past several weeks had seen a build up in the debate against big business mining in the Philippines. The successful Palawan campaign to stop the destruction of the biological diversity and environment of this beautiful paradise woke up many local government officials and emboldened many environmentalists. The death of Dr. Gerry Ortega, a pioneer in the campaign to preserve the environment of Palawan drew more people to the cause and is now one of the good practice models for mobilization on a very hot issue. It has drawn young and old to the campaign and it has made the Chamber of Mines “onion skinned” that caused it to issue full page ads upon full page ads in many national dailies. Putting up ads takes a lot of money, but money was never a problem for the big mining businesses.

The debate on mining rages and media has taken up the issue (considering that two contending forces own big media businesses). The debate on mining had been televised. No, the revolution will not be televised. The Occupy movement has been televised but does not have the prime time interest anymore. But when you have Gina Lopez of the ABS-CBN clan and MV Pangilinan of TV5, you are sure to have a televised debate. Which is good for projection but not good for information. Maybe twisted information as shown by how the millions of trees, the good roads and infrastructure, plenty of employment and income for government propaganda of the big mining companies was played up on television. (It was also entertainment in that it showed how the rich and famous parley with each other over bottles of wine, big ballrooms and fine dining, I assume. Contrast this to the Amianan Salakniban picket at the mining companies headquarters in Metro Manila amidst traffic and under the heat of the sun. To think that at Lepanto Mining Company in Makati, the door was barricaded, shut tight against possibly another throwing of toxic wastes from the company which earlier picketeers did.)

Just the other day, IBON data bank came out with a study showing how our domestic and overseas domestic workers were contributing more for the economy than all the mining companies combined. Now where is the boast of the big mining companies that their extractive industry is giving the country income and employment? Where is their boast of bringing in development to the country? Ad-adu pay ti mapastrek dagiti ibilbilang da a nababa ti saad na iti biag nga agrigrigat iti ballasiw taaw tapno makawesan dagiti pamilya da.

The other day also, the Ateneo has said they are suggesting a year of moratorium on new approvals of mining applications. In issuing this call, the father president of Ateneo said, “We are aware of the serious consequences mining poses for our people, the economy and the environment. We note the tragic record of pillage and inequity and suffering that have been the result of unscrupulous mining and governance in the country. But we do not believe the solution lies in banning mining from the country.”

“No new mining projects should be allowed until the establishment of better guidelines relating to economic, environmental and cultural concerns surrounding mining. This stand calls for strengthening governance, transparency and capacity in this sector, and for applying a moratorium on approving new mining projects until specific governance conditions for responsible mining are in place for strengthening governance to be necessary and wise in view of the long-term impact of mining on our future,” added the president of Ateneo.

What we think is this: Better yet if the moratorium is a lifetime, to heal the earth. Or better even if we follow the example of Indonesia of not allowing foreign mining companies on their soil. # nordis.net