Mining Confab to empower IPs

BAGUIO CITY — In the continuing effort to empower indigenous peoples’ organizations assert their collective rights to ancestral domain and self determination, the Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) concluded a two-day conference on mining education this Saturday, here with representatives of people’s organizations in the Cordillera.

“Large-scale mining remains an urgent concern in the region even with the effect of the global mining crisis to the world mining industry. Through updates on trends, issues, laws on mining affecting indigenous peoples and their rights to resources, they can further strengthen their actions to assert their collective rights”, said Santos Mero, CPA deputy secretary-general.

The conference consisted of inputs on basic mining, on large scale mining, traditional small-scale mining, an alternative to destructive mining, Philippine mining history and the present mining conditions in the country.

Experiences were shared on local struggles against destructive mines in the region, with emphasis on the violation of indigenous communities’ right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC).

Early last year, CPA documented FPIC violations by the Canadian mining company Olympus against the Binongan indigenous peoples of Baay Licuan, Abra. In December 2008, it also exposed violations of the FPIC process by the Australian mining company Royalco against the Kankanaey indigenous peoples of Gambang, Bakun, Benguet. Action Alerts were issued to the national and international community on these cases.

Participants to the conference included representatives from Mankayan-Quirino-Tadian-Cervantes Danggayan a Gunglo (MAQUITACDG), Tignayan dagiti Mannalon ti Kalinga (TMK), Save Apayao People’s Organization (SAPO), Itogon Inter Barangay Alliance, among others. # with reports from the CPA Public Information Commission