11 octubre, 2013 | Fundación Ideas para la Paz Realities of mining in Nueva Padilla in a privilege speech. The three firms Padilla wants made accountable are Oceana Vizcaya laid bare Gold, which operates in Didipio, Kasibu town, which the Commission on Human Rights earlier confirmed has been Published by MAC on 2013-10-03 abusing residents opposed to its presence, Royalco Resources Source: Statements, PNA, Yes Magazine, Real News, Rappler Ltd. and FCF Minerals Company. (2013−09−28) Among others, Padilla sought the immediate deportation of A fact-finding mission has recorded a growing number of human Oceana general manager Brennan Lang for allegedly ordering rights violations featuring mining in the Province of Nueva security guards of the firm to arrest and detain farmer Eduardo Vizcaya. These involve multinational mining companies including Licyayo for refusing to sell his farm to the mining company. the Australian based OceanaGold and Royalco, as well as the British Metals Exploration (owner of the Philippine FCF Minerals “I wonder, Mr. Speaker, if a court order is required for a warrant Company). A number of violations were recorded, with a request to issue, as Brennan Lang seems to have assumed the role of to investigate damage to the local river systems. There were judge when he issued the order to arrest Licyayo. Brennan Lang follow up accusations being made that OceanaGold ordered the should immediately be deported for acts proved to be inimical to arrest of a farmer Eduardo Licyayo in Didipio, while the army the people of Didipio, and Oceana security guards should be committed rights violations during a ‘security operation’ punished for arresting and detaining Licyayo upon the orders of requested by Royalco in Dupax del Norte and Kasibu. Lang,” Padilla said. A number of general articles and resources have been written Padilla said the CHR, then headed by Justice Secretary Leila de about the problems with the mining industry in the Philippines. Lima, found Oceana guilty of human rights violations against the One on behalf of Yes Magazine reviews mining issues through indigenous people of Didipio. A recommendation to cancel the prism of OceanaGold at Didipio, while another for the Real Oceana’s Financial and Technical Assistance Agreement was News channel considers how indigenous peoples in Mindanao endorsed by current CHR chair Etta Rosales, who also upheld De (Lumads) are impacted by mining multinationals. Philippine Lima’s findings, Padilla said. NGOs have presented a statement on the same issue to the UN “We call on President Aquino to adopt the recommendation of Human Rights Council. As if to emphasise the problems of mining the CHR to terminate Oceana’s FTAA submitted a few years back for Lumuds, yet more people have been killed around Glencore as said report remains valid,” the lawmaker said. Xstrata’s proposed mine at Tampakan (although this time it is government forces). Padilla also called on the Bureau of Internal Revenue to investigate Oceana Gold for violating the Internal Revenue Code Elsewhere, after almost two decades of fighting for compensation by not declaring the true value of its exports and shortchanging with Placer Dome (now part of Barrick Gold) for the toxic spill at the government in the payment of excise taxes. Marinduque, it seems a legal settlement may be drawing close for the case in US courts, while access has been granted to “Even the use of its Corporate Social Responsibility funds and documents in the Philippine courts. other corporate resources for indirectly bribing barangay officials, community leaders and politicians must be investigated Elsewhere the Court of Appeals has ordered a Writ of Kalikasan by the appropriate agency,” said Padilla. [Environment] stopping the levelling of a mountain by a Chinese mining company in Zambales. “Maliwanag na nanloloko ang mga kompanya ng pagmimina, Mr. Speaker. Hindi sila nagbabayad ng tamang buwis. Bakit Finally, more than a hundred members from various people’s pumapayag ang gobyerno na lokohin ng mga kompanyang ito (It organizations in Cagayan province travelled to Metro Manila to is clear that mining firms are engaged in deception, Mr. Speaker. bring their calls for the stoppage of destructive magnetite (aka They do not pay the right taxes. Why does government allow black sand) mining projects in the province. itself to be fooled by these companies)?” Padilla said. Deputy Speaker seeks legal action vs mining firms for The Deputy Speaker also called for the immediate cancellation of rights violations in Nueva Vizcaya the exploration permit of Royalco, which has faced a decade of Philippine News Agency (InterAksyon.com) opposition from Nueva Vizcaya residents. 28 September 2013 “Royalco Resources Ltd. illustrates a seeming collusion of state agents with private business where the military allows its men to MANILA, Philippines — House Deputy Speaker and Nueva be used by a private company for its own purposes. Reports of Vizcaya Representative Carlos Padilla has sought immediate human rights violations as a result of this collusion have been government legal action against three mining companies in his received by this representation,” Padilla said. province that he accused of committing human rights violations with impunity. He also said FCF Minerals bulldozed the homes and farm lots of indigenous people in Barangay Runruno, Quezon town. He said a “The residents of Nueva Vizcaya have suffered much and for a number of residents were hurt in the incident. long time. Ten years or so of living along barricades, not reneging on their simple desire to protect their homes and farms “Continuing research has led me to entertain the idea that the from aggression brought about by business is a long time,” said state is not only remiss in its duty to protect human rights. Worse, it allows its agents to be used by these companies to 1 protect private business interest. While mining may now be currently in the mine development stage called the current present in Nueva Vizcaya, the residents won’t allow further environmental impacts as ‘another Didipio in the making, desecration of their lands,” Padilla said. following in the polluter giant’s footsteps.’ “In the province of Nueva Vizcaya, I do not understand, the “Similar to Oceana Gold’s mine development stage, waterways people do not understand why the mining companies seem to have either decreased in both flow and volume or have violate human rights with impunity. Let us put an end to the completely dried up, while some ‘dead creeks’, as locals put it, people’s using non-legal means in favor of legal remedies. Let us, have suddenly strengthened most likely due to deliberate water for once, prove that our laws provide us protection better than diversion. We also observed signs of decreased water quality, barricades do,” he said. including signs of chemical contamination and increased turbidity in comparison to observed unaffected rivers that will National fact-finding and solidarity mission on mining likely impact on the irrigation, potable water supply and TNCs in Nueva Vizcaya unearths realities of poison, sanitation of communities. This was most apparent in Sulong plunder River, where residents noted the disappearance of paco (ferns) Defend Patrimony press release and other riverside flora as well as a decrease in productivity and stunted growth of fisheries,” said Dr. Chito Medina, national 21 September 2013 coordinator of the peasant-scientist group MASIPAG and lead National Fact-Finding and Solidarity Mission (NFSSM) led by expert of the scoping team on FCF Minerals. Defend Patrimony alliance along with Alyansa ng Nakgkakaisang The groups also noted the destruction of rice fields, citrus Vizcayanos para sa Kalikasan (ANVIK) have discovered a plantations and other cultivated lands alongside homes and pandora’s box of ecological destruction and resource plunder properties in all affected barangays by both the Australian-owned across three big mining companies in Nueva Vizcaya province. Oceana Gold and British-owned FCF Minerals. Massive biodiversity loss, water pollution, and human rights violations were observed in the indigenous peoples and peasant According to Fr. Vicente Tiam, chair of the mission’s lead communities affected by foreign mining corporations Oceana organizer group Alyansa ng Nagkakaisang Novo Vizcayano para Gold and FCF Minerals. sa Kalikasan (ANNVIK), “the findings of the mission is a clarion call for justice on the crimes committed by mining TNCs to the “Based on the initial investigation we conducted, we surmise the people and the environment of Nueva Vizcaya. The operations of main river in Barangay Didipio where Oceana Gold’s release Oceana Gold and FCF Minerals are in clear conflict with the their mining effluents is biologically dead. In our scoping study, declaration of the Magat River Forest Reserve as a Permanent we observed the foul stench, the thick, orange-brown siltation Forest Reserve in which more or less 97 percent of Nueva and the disappearance of aquatic resources. Water snails, Vizcaya is included.” shrimps, carp, mud fish and other local species that used to populate the river, according to locals, have all disappeared,” “These projects were granted under the auspices of the Mining said Clemente Bautista, national coordinator of the Kalikasan Act of 1995 and more likely further reinforced by Pres. Benigno People’s Network for the Environment (Kalikasan PNE) and lead Aquino’s Executive Order 79 that may serve as basis for the of the environmental scoping team on Oceana Gold gold mining overriding of local and national environmental policies. The operation. realities unearthed by the NFSSM are indictment on the current mining policy régime. There is a need to investigate the Bautista said that the water pollution in Didipio have reached environmental damage done by large-scale mining in Nueva other barangays and communities in Quirino province. The Vizcaya. The local and national governments should look into the Didipio River merges with Diduyon River which transverses the violations and these polluters should be held accountable,” ended Quirino province.