COMPOSTELA VALLEY -- Small miners and other cause-oriented groups in Davao Region filed a petition calling for the declaration of this province as a "no foreign, no large-scale and no open pit mining zone."
Around 100 leaders representing small-mining enclaves of Pantukan and Diwalwal, together with environmental advocates, trooped to the provincial Capitol in Nabunturan on Wednesday, as they clamored for the cancellation of permits awarded to foreign funded and large-scale mining operations.
Large mining firms National Development Corporation (Nadecor) and the Natural Mineral Resources Incorporated (NMRI) recently acquired a Mineral Production Sharing Agreement in Pantukan.
NMRI's application allegedly trespasses into the Minahang Bayan areas of Boringot, Diat and Biasong, and will physically and economically displace the more than 5,000 families in Pantukan who depend on small-scale mining for a living.
"We urge our local officials not to allow foreign and large-scale mining trans-nationals to encroach in our province. We are alarmed with the approval of the mining permits of large-scale miners whose applications overlap areas already declared as 'minahang bayan'," said Belen Galleto, coordinator of the Save Pantukan Alliance.
Galleto said the entry and expansion of large-scale and foreign mining companies, such as Toronto Ventures Inc., Crew Minerals, Apex and other firms, in the province will spell the fast depletion of the province's mineral resources.
The group said that according to the data in the Mines and Geosciences Bureau website, mining applications in Pantukan and neighboring towns cover 62,211 hectares.
Ironically, Pantukan has only a total land area of 42,013 hectares. This implies that the whole Pantukan has been applied for by mostly, large-scale mining firms.
Meanwhile, mining operations and applications for the whole Compostela Valley, including some areas in Davao Oriental province, reached 138,452 hectares.
"We should be alarmed about the rate of mining applications for operations and exploration in Davao region as these applications target areas of significant biodiversity value," said Rex Ricablanca, spokesperson of the United People of Mt. Diwata.
Mining applications target areas such as Barangay Kiblawan in Davao Del Sur in the foothills of Mt. Apo, 8,100 hectares of Paquibato, Talaingod and Bukidnon in the Pantaron Mountain Range, and the Hamiguitan Mountain Range in Davao Oriental, Ricablanca added.
The small-scale miners urged the national and local government to address the current problems of the small-scale mining industry.
"The small-scale miners need the help of the government to ensure the safety of the miners and of the environment. But the government has failed in its duty to implement the necessary guidance and management of the declared minahang bayans and all mining areas," Ricablanca said.
The fate of gold mountain Mt. Diwata, home to around 40,000 small-scale miners, and other informal dwellers is currently in a limbo as the bidding of the area's 729 hectare parcel has been postponed thrice last year after a series of big protests by the small-scale miners.
"For nine years since the declaration of Mt. Diwata as a government mineral reservation area, the welfare of the small-scale miners did not improve. We suffer from the same dangers in the tunnels and our income has decreased as large-scale concessionaires monopolize the mining operations even in small scale mining areas. Use of mercury, waste storage and waste disposal methods have not improved," Ricablanca said.
The protest action on Wednesday was in commemoration of the 16th year of the enactment of the Philippine Mining Act of 1995 on March 3, which has long been criticized due to its pro-foreign provisions -- 100 percent foreign ownership of as much as 81,000 hectares of land under a 50 to 75-year contract.
Environmental advocates will hold Thursday a protest rally at the regional office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Lanang, Davao City. The group will then travel to the Freedom Park, where they will hold another rally. (Ben O. Tesiorna
