Natural Disasters Should Serve As P-Noy's Wake Up Call Against Foreign Large Scale Mining Operations

Gabriela Women’s Party Representative Luz Ilagan today said it is high time for President Aquino to reconsider his position on large-scale mining activities in the Philippines as she called for an immediate repeal of the Mining Act of 1995. President Aquino has categorically opposed a ban on large-scale mining activities.
 
“The damaging impact of unregulated large scale mining on rural and indigenous communities as well as on our environment cannot be emphasized enough. These mining activities make our country even more vulnerable to landslides, pollution and the ravages of natural disasters. The recent natural disasters should serve as a wake-up call,” said Ilagan.
 
According to Ilagan, the Mining Act of 1995 has allowed foreign mining firms and multinationals to plunder our mineral resource. “We need to repeal this law that gives preferential treatment and perks to foreign-owned mining firms. Even though it is prohibited by the constitution, multinational mining corporations are allowed 100% ownership of mineral lands and operations in the country.”
 
“Despite the government harping about supposed advantages brought by operations of multinational mining corporations in the country, actual earnings prove otherwise,” said Ilagan.
 
To illustrate this point, the Gabriela solon said that while the export revenues increased to US$2.72B, excise taxes, mining fees and royalties from which the government extracts its revenues amounted only to US$27.9M or a meager 1% of the value of total mineral exports. The Mines and Geosciences Bureau reports that as of July 2010, there are 28 operating metallic mines in the country and government granted 676 mining permits covering 1,042,531 hectares of mineral lands.
 
Ilagan is also among the authors of HB 4315 or the People’s Mining Bill.
 
“It is time that a moratorium on all foreign dominated large scale mining operations is implemented until a progressive, nationalist and scientific mining act is approved.”