Anti-mining group faces libel

Manila Standard Today

Wednesday July 11,2007

A6

LAFAYETTE Philippines sued yesterday an anti-mining group and its key officers for libel, saying their brand of irresponsible and unprincipled advocacy employed a systematic pattern of lies and hate-mongering to pressure the government to close down the company.

"We are taking this unprecedented defensive measure to protect the company and the thousands of people we employ directly and indirectly, and to force these anti-mining groups to be a positive force through a moral, honest, and responsible advocacy," said Carlos g Dominguez, chairman and president of Lafayette.'

Included in the complaint filed before the Pasig City Prosecutor's Office were the trustees of the, Centre for Environmental Concerns Inc. and its executive director, Frances Quimpo, who, for almost two years running, insisted on allegations that had long been proven as a hoax and unscientific.

The company is seeking P l0 million in damages which it plans to use as a scholarship fund for deserving Rapu-Rapu students to secure advanced degrees in environmental management and protection. .

The company is also preparing similar complaints against radical 'groups, including a Rapu-Rapu Island resident who even flew to Melbourne just to distribute anti-Lafayette handouts to the company's bankers. .

"These groups, want Bicol region's biggest investor and job creator to close down under the guise of protecting the environment. Some of them have even gone as low as, telling the Rapu-Rapu residents that they are better off as poor fishermen than have the Rapu-Rapu Polymetallic Project around," he said.

Dominguez said the anti-mining advocates succeeded last year in making people believe that the company caused a mercury spill off the coast of Sorsogon , across the sea from Rapu-Rapu, the project's location. He said the company does not use mercury at all.

"It took us months to clear our name with, the help of independent scientific groups. But the worst injury of the mercury hoax was on the 5,000 Sorsogon fishermen who could not sell their catch. The poor got poorer and more desperate, while the miscreants got away," he said.

Dominguez said this should not be the case because responsible non-government organizations have a big role to play especially in monitoring as the country becomes a major mining player in the region.

CEC, in its various handouts and campaigns, had accused the company of "engaging in the illicit sale of Philippine natural resources," being "deceitful in reporting its production," "epitomize(s) irresponsible mining," "causing fish kills," and causing various ailments in the community that doctors said came from poverty and poor hygiene

The Rapu Rapu Shares are trading at their lowest to my knowledge!

Today the price is at

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Code	Last	% Chg	Bid	Offer	Open	High	Low	Vol
LAF	0.041	-4.65%	0.040	0.041	0.042	0.042	0.040	10,571,301

Closing prices

Closing prices are displayed for the last 5 days on which the security traded on ASX within the last 6 months.

Date	Last	% Change	High	Low	Vol *
10 Jul 2007	0.043	-6.52%	0.046	0.043	9,006,491
09 Jul 2007	0.046	0%	0.048	0.045	7,393,294
06 Jul 2007	0.046	-4.17%	0.049	0.046	7,282,141
05 Jul 2007	0.048	0%	0.050	0.048	4,736,368
04 Jul 2007	0.048	2.13%	0.049	0.048	4,914,359

* Volume of shares shown represents only those shares traded on ASX.