TF local governance visit mining communities

3 MIN READ

By MARY LOU MARIGZA
www.nordis.net

BAGUIO CITY — The Task Force on Participatory Local Governance (TF-PLG) had just concluded its Co-mentoring visit to the anti-mining struggle of the Cordillera People last April 10 – 14.

The co-mentoring visit was participated by 12 partners from Visayas and Mindanao of the Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (EED). The project is a recognition that there are varied practices of PLG employed by EED partners, thus the need to develop, sharpen, enrich and sustain the partners’ capabilities for PLG work. The visit was hosted by EED partners in the Cordillera — TFIP, KADUAMI, CWEARC, MRDC and CPA.

The co-mentoring visit went to several mining communities, and barrios soon to be mined for the knowledge sharing and mutual learning. It veered away from the usual input and training style of knowledge generation and sharing. It exposed the participants to the community of people and stakeholders who engage in PLG in different forms and expanse.

The focus of the learning is on the Task Force Indigenous Peoples (TFIP) experiences on the Cordillera peoples’ struggle against the operation or existence of mining companies.

TF-PLG of Visayas and Mindanao partners look at participatory local governance beyond the Local Government Code as the critical perspective is based on what the community, that is the marginalized, voiceless, nameless, desire.

PLG, they believe, can be an important strategy that can be used in all programs like health, sustainable agriculture, education and others. It is aimed at making the local governments work for the people despite their differences in principles and approach.

It is essential that the poor who are powerless should be empowered first so they can assert, organize and speak out. PLG is a dialogue with and among the poor. It works for the assertion of human rights of the people.

Among the objectives of the co mentoring visit are the identification of PLG practices employed by TFIP in situations where there are mining companies and how they affect the development work of the TFIP members in the Cordilleras, identify the challenges, learnings and risks of the TFIP PLG practices and how these were overcome.

Mining communities visited were Itogon, three barrios of Mankayan and Bakun. In a synthesis, the participants described the learning experience as a river with fresh water that represents the beauty and bounty of the IP environment. They became aware of customs and practices of indigenous people like unity pact, community spirit as seen in small scale mining where the whole community benefits and not only a few individuals who are not even from the community.

In Itogon (which means pakisabi -please tell- in Waray ) the community is a showcase of mining oppression for both the people and the environment. The VizMin participants concluded that the principal struggle is between the community people and the mining company. There was dis-information from the local government on the benefits they got from the company.

The effect of mining on the Abra river which traverses Benguet, Abra and Ilocos Sur is destroying their ricefields and source of water for the homes. The future of the people who depend on the river is uncertain as the mining companies continue to dump their mining wastes on the river.

Some PLG responses range from dialogues, legal and extra legal approaches. The mutual learning pinpoints that the VizMin practices were also seen in the Cordillera engagement: 1) organizing the critical mass in the communities; 2) dialogue with and for the poor; 3) working with the marginalized.

It was also clear that the struggle against mining is a basic human right for it involves the right to life, to basic food security, to clean environment and gainful employment. As VizMin partners they saw that their learnings in their areas are confirmed in the experiences of the mining communities in this exposure program.

The comentoring activity ended with a solidarity program at the CPA office last Wednesday. A sharing of songs, dances and campaigns with development workers in the Cordillera sealed a resolve to work for and with the communities the partners are involved in all over the archipelago. # nordis.net