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Abra, Ilocos Sur folk blame LCMCo for loss of livelihood

BAGUIO CITY (Nov. 8) — Recently gathered testimonies from Abra and Ilocos Sur peasants living along the Abra River blamed Lepanto Consolidated Mining Corporation (LCMCo) for the destruction of their livelihood.
These testimonies were gathered during the Environmental Investigation Mission (EIM) this month from Mankayan, Benguet down to Abra and Ilocos Sur communities headed by the Save the Abra River Movement (STARM).

In a recent press conference, Pastor Jordan Rivas of STARM-Abra said that LCMCo is responsible for the frequent flooding of the Abra River, which led to the destruction of their laplapog (rice and cornfields by the riverbank).

He explained that these days, flooding is now more frequent due to LCMCo’s expanding gold production. He compared this to earlier years when the company was engaged in copper production where flooding happened only once a year.

According to Rivas, the Abreños are convinced that the water that floods their fields is tainted with LCMCo’s mine waste because of its color and smell. “Sabali ti libeg na,” he stressed.

Rivas added that floodwaters submerging the fields leave silt smelling like mine tailings. Abra peasants believe that the said sediment contaminated the natural soil of their fields.

“As a result, anything planted dies before it matures,” Rivas said in the vernacular.

Minewastes, due to the floods, also kills freshwater aquatic life, according to Rivas. He claimed that Bangued residents have seen dead fishes that are washed down from the upstream towns of Tubo and Manabo.

Native delicacies like the igat (freshwater eel), udang (freshwater shrimp), and the famous ludong (a freshwater fish) are disappearing, he said. Today, some fish were found to be stunted or bloated.

They even smell differently when cooked, Rivas said. The ludong costs around P1,000 to P3,000 per kilo.

Rivas gathered that there were cases when children experienced skin irritation after swimming in the murky river during the rainy season. The skin irritation was described to be like “rashes” that cover all parts of the body including the face and scalp.

Similar plight in Ilocos Sur

Solidarity of Peasants against Exploitation (STOP Exploitation) Secretary General Avelino Dacanay said during the same press conference that Ilocos Sur peasants along the Abra River share the same plight as the Abreños.

Dacanay said that floodwaters are submerging an increasing area of rice fields along its riverbanks resulting to a decline in rice production. He claimed that the mine tailings released by LCMCo to the Abra River adds layers of hard crust which causes riverbanks to overflow more easily.

During a Kapihan sa Benguet program this month, LCMCo’s Project Development Manager Jake Foronda said that the company is working closely with the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) and Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) both under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for the detoxifying measures and treatment of its mine wastes at Tailings Dam 5A.

However, Dr. Ana Marie Leung, STARM spokesperson, stressed that residents living near the Maudangan River in Brgy. Paalaban, Mankayan which is located upstream from the present tailings dam, are exposed to the untreated water coming from the LCMCo’s carbon-in-pulp mill (CIP). She explained that the CIP mill is where the ores are processed to extract the gold.

As the name implies, the river used to abound with udang. But due to LCMCo’s mining operations, Leung lamented that not a single shrimp or fish can be found in the river these days.

Leung said that the initial findings of the EIM showed that the quality of water coming from LCMCo’s CIP mill is the same with that at the tailings dam. She revealed that water testing confirmed that the water from LCMCo’s CIP mill and tailings pond are acidic and contains dissolved oxygen below 2 milligrams per liter (mg/L). Aquatic organisms need more than 2 mg/L of dissolved oxygen in order to survive, she added.

The said EIM conducted physicochemical samplings from LCMCo’s CIP mill down to Santa, Ilocos Sur. Leung revealed that unlike DENR testing, which was concentrated at the tailings dam, the EIM opted to start at the CIP mill because environmental degradation starts there. She added that most of the said residents are engaged in small-scale mining, which compels them to have contact with the said river contaminated with LCMCo’s mine waste. # Kim N. Quitasol for NORDIS

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