Priest hits out at mining firm’s ‘carrot’ approach
A priest questions miners' methods and integrity
Large scale mining exploration in Ilocos Norte
- Leilani Adriano, Ilocos Norte
- Philippines
- February 14, 2012
A priest in the poverty stricken northern town of Carasi is questioning the methods and integrity of the mining firm Rigid Aggregates as it re-opens for business in his neighborhood.
The firm closed its mine there in 2007, after running into trouble with the government over illegal alien workers. Now it has returned with a range of inducements to local tribal communities, as well as the promise of plentiful employment.
In the past week the company has installed streetlights in one village near the mine, donated money to a farmland expansion project in another and restored a potable water system in a third.
At the same time, it has launched a development program aimed at turning the area into a tourism venue.
These benefits are in return for local endorsement of its application for an exploration permit in the Virbira district of Carasi. This has now been approved by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Most of the area’s 2,000 residents are tribal people who rely on hunting, fishing and farming. Generally, they see the return of mining as an opportunity to boost their income, improve their living standards and afford an education for their children.
Father Danilo Devaras, of Carasi’s St. Joseph the Worker parish, freely concedes that “the tribal communities are in need of jobs for survival.”
However, he adds that the Catholic Church has taken a firm stand against mining as “previous experiences with mining operations in this country have never been good for the environment.”
Fr Devaras hails from Leyte, an area which has been devastated by irresponsible mining and logging operations. He believes that companies should present both the good and bad effects of mining, not just the short term benefits.
In particular, he believes they should make people aware of what their local environment and resources might be like when the mine closes and the company moves on.
“There’s a need to educate the people on what will happen in the future and the impact that mining has,” he says.
Rey Guillermo, community relations officer for Rigid Aggregates, admits that “mining is not perfect and it is not always good.”
“But as long as we work together to achieve responsible mining for sustainable development,” he says, “we can mitigate the effects and ensure that everybody benefits.”
It has also been pointed out that the presence of the mine has a major impact on municipal revenues. Under the 1995 Mining Act of 1995, at least 10 percent of the total cost of exploration must be paid directly to the host community, with another 10 percent donated for environmental protection and restoration.
“The town is dependent on this,” says Mayor Joy Banagui Carte. “We could hardly implement any development projects without these additional sources.”
Fr Devaras remains unconvinced. “I have yet to see a successful mining operation in the Philippines where both rich and the poor benefit from it equally,” he says.
The firm closed its mine there in 2007, after running into trouble with the government over illegal alien workers. Now it has returned with a range of inducements to local tribal communities, as well as the promise of plentiful employment.
In the past week the company has installed streetlights in one village near the mine, donated money to a farmland expansion project in another and restored a potable water system in a third.
At the same time, it has launched a development program aimed at turning the area into a tourism venue.
These benefits are in return for local endorsement of its application for an exploration permit in the Virbira district of Carasi. This has now been approved by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Most of the area’s 2,000 residents are tribal people who rely on hunting, fishing and farming. Generally, they see the return of mining as an opportunity to boost their income, improve their living standards and afford an education for their children.
Father Danilo Devaras, of Carasi’s St. Joseph the Worker parish, freely concedes that “the tribal communities are in need of jobs for survival.”
However, he adds that the Catholic Church has taken a firm stand against mining as “previous experiences with mining operations in this country have never been good for the environment.”
Fr Devaras hails from Leyte, an area which has been devastated by irresponsible mining and logging operations. He believes that companies should present both the good and bad effects of mining, not just the short term benefits.
In particular, he believes they should make people aware of what their local environment and resources might be like when the mine closes and the company moves on.
“There’s a need to educate the people on what will happen in the future and the impact that mining has,” he says.
Rey Guillermo, community relations officer for Rigid Aggregates, admits that “mining is not perfect and it is not always good.”
“But as long as we work together to achieve responsible mining for sustainable development,” he says, “we can mitigate the effects and ensure that everybody benefits.”
It has also been pointed out that the presence of the mine has a major impact on municipal revenues. Under the 1995 Mining Act of 1995, at least 10 percent of the total cost of exploration must be paid directly to the host community, with another 10 percent donated for environmental protection and restoration.
“The town is dependent on this,” says Mayor Joy Banagui Carte. “We could hardly implement any development projects without these additional sources.”
Fr Devaras remains unconvinced. “I have yet to see a successful mining operation in the Philippines where both rich and the poor benefit from it equally,” he says.
