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IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE MANGYANS AND AFFECTED COMMUNITIES IN MINDORO ISLAND

 

The Haribon Foundation strongly supports the indigenous peoples and affected communities in Mindoro Island in their struggle to save and protect the environment and their cultural heritage. We stand as one with the Mangyans and community leaders (farmers, women, church leaders and LGU officials) from Mindoro who have been in an indefinite hunger strike since November 17 to protest against mining operations in Mindoro Island which is identified as one of the top ten priority conservation areas in the country because of the urgency of protecting and conserving biological treasures from the various threats imposed on them, such as habitat destruction, hunting and deforestation.

We strongly condemn the continued operations of the Mindoro Nickel Project (MNP) by the Intex Resources Philippines, Inc. and its affiliates. We express our extreme opposition against the MNP which is owned and financed by the Intex Resources Philippines, Inc. (IRPI), a Norweigan mining company. We denounce the issuance by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) to IRPI. The mineral tenure is held by its local subsidiaries, the Aglubang Mining Corporation and Alag-ag Mining Incorporated. It covers a total land area of 11,216 hectares which will span four towns in the island province – Victoria, Pola and Socorro in Oriental Mindoro and Sablayan in Occidental Mindoro. It is located within the ancestral domain claims of Alangan and Tadyawan Mangyans which can lead to displacement of several Mangyan communities and is feared to have great impacts on their lives, source of living and culture.

The large-scale mining project involves extraction and processing of lateritic nickel through surface excavations with projected annual production rates of 31,730 t/a mixed sulphide product during the first two years and an estimated 75,500 t/a for the succeeding 3-20 years. Indeed, just like other large-scale mining projects, the MNP will most likely result to terrible damages to the environment and people’s lives such as landslides/rockslides, siltation, loss of vegetation due to clearing and stripping activities, disturbance/displacement of wildlife, disturbance of aquatic flora and fauna due to increased water turbidity and siltation of water, generation of wastes, obstruction of natural drainage, alteration of natural channel ways among many others. Women and children are the most vulnerable groups to the possible harmful effects of mining activities.

We uphold and advocate for biodiversity conservation that is crucial to our survival and should never be compromised. Biodiversity is the source of food, water, shelter and livelihood for our people. It is the basis for rural development and economic growth and provides a viable solution to poverty. At present, there is roughly only 10% of natural forest cover left in the country. In these forests remain key conservation sites or Important Biodiversity Areas (IBAs). They are important cultural heritage sites. They serve as the last bastion for biodiversity in our country.



The impacts of mining are closely felt by those living near the mining sites that are mostly dependent on natural resources for their subsistence. Loss of biodiversity further drives them to abject poverty.

Biodiversity provides vital ecological services such as water, climate regulation, flood control which are important in regulating the natural processes on earth. Valuation studies in Samar Island show that the estimated value of biodiversity in Samar Island Natural Park is equivalent to US$43 billion over 25 years which is more than double the estimated potential earnings from bauxite for the same period. This only proves that the services provided by biodiversity and forests are invaluable and that no mining company can ever compensate at the amount they are willing to offer.

We call on the government to fulfill its duties and responsibilities in protecting the rights of the marginalized sectors and conservation of the environment. The government’s push for the promotion and revitalization of the mining industry fails to recognize the importance of conserving biodiversity, especially the complex relationships across and between species and the environment. Despite the resistance and moratorium issued by the Local Governments in Mindoro prohibiting the entry of all large-scale mining, the DENR granted an ECC to the MNP. In solidarity with the hunger strikers and affected communities, we reiterate the legitimate calls of the group for DENR Sec. Atienza to revoke the ECC and to cancel the mining contract of IRPI.

We further urge the government to immediately act on the following:

1. Declare a moratorium on mining and other extractive industries in natural forests;
2. Conduct the immediate rehabilitation of abandoned, inactive mines;
3. Formulate concrete programs and actions to rehabilitate degraded forests and pursue a countrywide participatory and multi-sectoral restoration program;
4. Consider the following for mining in non-IBA sites: protection of cultural integrity, community safety and welfare and non-disruption of the complex interaction of ecosystems.


We remain faithful to our cause of protecting nature and preserving life!