INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' WATCH
As tribes denounce killings of 72 indigenous peoples
http://www.bulatlat.com/news/6-27/6-27-iprights_printer.html
What could be the reasons for the Philippine government’s refusal to vote for the adoption of the draft United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples last June?
BY JHONG DELA CRUZBulatlat
In an August 3 letter addressed to Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo, the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) questioned two provisions of the UN’s draft declaration on indigenous peoples’ rights.
On the right to self-determination (Art. 3), the OSG said that there is a need to consider “the peculiar crisis that the Philippines is facing within its own territory,” referring to attempts by rebel forces in Mindanao to separate the territory and form an independent Muslim state.
“There is a strong possibility that the provision…could be subjected to untrammeled interpretations by secessionist groups like the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) which, since the enactment of the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA), has been clamoring for recognition as indigenous peoples,” the letter read.
It then proposed the article to read, “Nothing in this Declaration shall be construed as authorizing or encouraging any action which would dismember or impair, totally or in part, the territorial integrity or political unity of sovereign and Independent States…”
At the same time, the OSG clarified that it does not intend to “dilute or redefine the said rights of indigenous peoples to self-determination.”
The OSG also questioned Art. 26 which seeks the recognition of the indigenous peoples’ right “to own, use, develop and control the lands, territories and resources they possess by reason of traditional ownership.”
Abstention due to OSG opinion Sec. 57 of the IPRA provided that indigenous peoples, “shall have priority rights in the harvesting, extraction, development or exploitation of any natural resources within ancestral domains.” The OSG said that this provision “does not speak of ownership of natural resources,” but merely “priority rights.”
“It is strongly recommended that the right of ownership be limited only to lands and domains,” the letter further stated.
Chairman Janette Cansing Serrano of the National Commission for Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) noted that the OSG’s legal opinion on September 12, 2002 became the basis of the government’s abstention during the high-level session of the UN.
Other members of the Philippine mission to New York and Geneva, were caught by surprise when they learned of the government’s stand.
During the session UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York, the Philippine mission clearly expressed support to the declaration.
However, the government later held back during the Geneva high-level session of the UN’s Human Rights Council on June 22
“The government abstained based on the September 2002 opinion of the OSG, which had undergone several [revisions],” Serrano said. NCIP was not been furnished a copy of the document even if it worked hard for the adoption of the declaration. “The Philippine mission should have been consistent with foreign policies. We wonder why they changed it based on the 2002 legal opinion of OSG. When we discovered it, it was too late.”
Serrano vowed to work for the adoption of the declaration at the 61st UN General Assembly in October.
OSG rebuked
“We find it ironic that the Philippine government always crows about how it fully supports indigenous peoples’ rights as evidenced by the IPRA,” said Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, the head of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
In a roundtable dialogue last August 1, Commission on Human Rights Chair Purificacion Quisumbing rebuked the OSG for its opinion on ownership and self-determination. The commission has supported the adoption of the declaration.
NCIP has issued an en banc resolution, officially endorsing the adoption of the draft declaration.
Corpuz stressed that indigenous groups have the right to own the lands and resources within their ancestral domains, claiming ownership was inherent even before local and international measures supporting this came to life.
She also criticized the OSG for speculating that the MILF would use the declaration to separate Mindanao, saying the MILF has not declared itself as an indigenous group.
In a statement hailing the UN adoption, MILF said the measure would bolster the struggle of the Bangsamoro people.
For her part, Serrano said that the inter-agency committee tasked to discuss the declaration could reach a consensus by mid-September. She expressed optimism that the committee will move for a “yes” vote in time for the UN 61st General Assembly in October.
The Department of Justice (DOJ), along with the OSG, also recommended further study of the declaration which they said should be consistent with the Constitution.
72 indigenous peoples killed
In a related development, indigenous groups expressed alarm over the wave of killings against activists that victimized at least 72 indigenous peoples, according to the records of the Indigenous Peoples Rights Watch.
In their annual celebration of the Indigenous Peoples Week, groups belonging to the Kalipunan ng mga Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas (KAMP, National Federation of Indigenous Peoples Organizations in the Philippines) denounced the all-out war policy of the Arroyo administration.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared in June her plan to wipe out the insurgency in the country with the release of additional funding for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) amounting to P1 billion ($19.5 million, based on an exchange rate of P51.25 per US dollar).
According to KAMP, 42 of the 72 killed were Lumads from Mindanao; 14 belonged to Dumagat/Remontado and Mangyans from Southern Tagalog; 10 were Igorots from the Cordillera; and six were Aetas from Central Luzon.
The latest victim is Alice Omengan-Claver, 42, who belonged to the Kankana-ey. She was the wife of Dr. Chandu Claver, chair of the Kalinga chapter of the party-list group Bayan Muna (People First).
Corpuz who is also executive director of indigenous center Tebtebba Foundation said that the international concern generated by the killings and abductions has put the government in a defensive position. She said that the government’s dismal human rights record tarnished its moral authority to promote human rights.
Baguio-based Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) said that an independent body should investigate the violations. Militant groups have denounced the government-led Task Force Usig which they said practically absolved the violators of the killings and abductions like Major General Jovito Palparan.
Meanwhile, the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues has recommended the formation of a tripartite committee to oversee the implementation of the program of the 2nd International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People from 2005 to 2015.
The program, which will also be adopted during the 61st UN General Assembly, stresses the need for a worldwide mechanism to monitor the situation of indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation and in danger of extinction. Bulatlat
© 2006 Bulatlat ■ Alipato Media Center
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Friday, June 23, 2006
Biak-na-Bato mining put to a halt
First posted 02:31am (Mla time) June 23, 2006
By Blanche Rivera
Inquirer
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=1&index=1&story_id=6126
Editor's Note: Published on Page A15 of the June 23, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
THE government has again suspended the transport of ore from the Biak-na-Bato National Park in Bulacan where marble quarrying is being opposed by the provincial government and environmentalists.
The Mines and Geosciences Bureau would not issue a new ore transport permit (OTP) to Rosemoor Mining and Development Corp. (RMDC) until the case lodged by Bulacan officials and antiquarrying groups is resolved, MGB regional director Angel Bravo said.
“It’s suspended until the resolution of the case. We have to respect our superior,” Bravo said in an interview after a forum at the Manila Pavilion yesterday.
Environment Secretary Angelo T. Reyes has created a committee to investigate allegations that the RMDC did not have an environmental compliance certificate for its quarrying operations and that the acquisition of the firm’s Mineral Production Sharing Agreement was anomalous.
The committee, led by MGB executive director Jeremias Dolino, held its first hearing with the representatives of RMDC, Bulacan local government and environmental groups two weeks ago.
Dolino said the committee would finish its review of the allegations next week and would submit its recommendations to Reyes, who will eventually decide whether or not to cancel the permits given to RMDC.
“We can make do with what we have to come up with a decision,” Dolino said.
Dolino said there has been no activity inside Biak an Bato for the past two weeks, or since the investigation started.
The MGB also did not renew the OTP that allowed RMDC to transport 400 cubic meters of ore last month.
The Bulacan government also wants the DENR to recommend the restoration of the roughly 3,000-ha Biak na Bato to its previous status as a national park.
Only about 658 ha of Biak na Bato were declared a national park in 1989. Another 938 ha were declared a watershed forest reserve, 480 ha a forest reserve and 953 ha a mineral reservation.
The MPSA awarded by the DENR under former Environment Secretary Heherson Alvarez to the RMDC allows the company to extract marble from a 330-ha area within the mineral reservation.
Reyes belied the accusation of Bulacan Gov. Josefina de la Cruz that he has become the “blatant enemy of the Filipino people” for allegedly failing to protect the Biak na Bato.”
Reyes told the Inquirer on Wednesday that if there is one individual who truly protects our environment and natural resources, it was him. “You cannot find anyone more concern in the protection of our environment more determined and serious than me,” he said.
With a report from Carmela Reyes, PDI Central Luzon Desk
By Blanche Rivera
Inquirer
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=1&index=1&story_id=6126
Editor's Note: Published on Page A15 of the June 23, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
THE government has again suspended the transport of ore from the Biak-na-Bato National Park in Bulacan where marble quarrying is being opposed by the provincial government and environmentalists.
The Mines and Geosciences Bureau would not issue a new ore transport permit (OTP) to Rosemoor Mining and Development Corp. (RMDC) until the case lodged by Bulacan officials and antiquarrying groups is resolved, MGB regional director Angel Bravo said.
“It’s suspended until the resolution of the case. We have to respect our superior,” Bravo said in an interview after a forum at the Manila Pavilion yesterday.
Environment Secretary Angelo T. Reyes has created a committee to investigate allegations that the RMDC did not have an environmental compliance certificate for its quarrying operations and that the acquisition of the firm’s Mineral Production Sharing Agreement was anomalous.
The committee, led by MGB executive director Jeremias Dolino, held its first hearing with the representatives of RMDC, Bulacan local government and environmental groups two weeks ago.
Dolino said the committee would finish its review of the allegations next week and would submit its recommendations to Reyes, who will eventually decide whether or not to cancel the permits given to RMDC.
“We can make do with what we have to come up with a decision,” Dolino said.
Dolino said there has been no activity inside Biak an Bato for the past two weeks, or since the investigation started.
The MGB also did not renew the OTP that allowed RMDC to transport 400 cubic meters of ore last month.
The Bulacan government also wants the DENR to recommend the restoration of the roughly 3,000-ha Biak na Bato to its previous status as a national park.
Only about 658 ha of Biak na Bato were declared a national park in 1989. Another 938 ha were declared a watershed forest reserve, 480 ha a forest reserve and 953 ha a mineral reservation.
The MPSA awarded by the DENR under former Environment Secretary Heherson Alvarez to the RMDC allows the company to extract marble from a 330-ha area within the mineral reservation.
Reyes belied the accusation of Bulacan Gov. Josefina de la Cruz that he has become the “blatant enemy of the Filipino people” for allegedly failing to protect the Biak na Bato.”
Reyes told the Inquirer on Wednesday that if there is one individual who truly protects our environment and natural resources, it was him. “You cannot find anyone more concern in the protection of our environment more determined and serious than me,” he said.
With a report from Carmela Reyes, PDI Central Luzon Desk
Special fiscal incentives eyed for mining
First posted 01:39am (Mla time) June 23, 2006
By Michelle Remo
Inquirer
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=1&index=1&story_id=6117
THE mining sector, which the government says is expected to attract as much as $7 billion worth of investments annually, is likely to get special privileges under the government’s program to rationalize the grant of financial incentives for investments.
The Senate ways and means committee headed by Senator Ralph Recto plans to file a bill that will withdraw tax and duty breaks that are deemed unnecessary. But a government official said Recto had asked the Department of Finance, Department of Energy and Department of Environment and Natural Resources to assist the committee in doing a study to determine the appropriate incentives for the mining sector.
Recto’s bill will be aimed at limiting the grant of financial incentives to exporters, effectively removing all tax- and duty-free privileges given to domestic-oriented investments.
But the senator said mining companies not engaged in exports could be given incentives, such as reduced income tax rate and application of net operating loss carryover (nolco), the source said.
The ways and means committee is considering a 15-percent income tax on mining companies, compared with the 35 percent imposed on corporate income taxpayers.
Nolco allows preferred companies to deduct previous years’ losses from taxable incomes for the current year, thereby reducing their tax liabilities.
Under the Senate committee’s plan, only mining companies operating in the 20 poorest provinces would qualify for the special incentives.
The Department of Finance is gathering data on local government incomes to identify the provinces that would be covered.
The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) estimates that the mining sector can generate investments of $5-$7 billion annually in the medium term. It says the Philippines has $840 billion to $1 trillion worth of untapped mineral resources, and developing these would let the government collect an additional P17-P23 billion in taxes every year.
The Senate committee is concerned that removing financial incentives from mining investments might derail investment plans.
With INQ7.net
By Michelle Remo
Inquirer
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=1&index=1&story_id=6117
THE mining sector, which the government says is expected to attract as much as $7 billion worth of investments annually, is likely to get special privileges under the government’s program to rationalize the grant of financial incentives for investments.
The Senate ways and means committee headed by Senator Ralph Recto plans to file a bill that will withdraw tax and duty breaks that are deemed unnecessary. But a government official said Recto had asked the Department of Finance, Department of Energy and Department of Environment and Natural Resources to assist the committee in doing a study to determine the appropriate incentives for the mining sector.
Recto’s bill will be aimed at limiting the grant of financial incentives to exporters, effectively removing all tax- and duty-free privileges given to domestic-oriented investments.
But the senator said mining companies not engaged in exports could be given incentives, such as reduced income tax rate and application of net operating loss carryover (nolco), the source said.
The ways and means committee is considering a 15-percent income tax on mining companies, compared with the 35 percent imposed on corporate income taxpayers.
Nolco allows preferred companies to deduct previous years’ losses from taxable incomes for the current year, thereby reducing their tax liabilities.
Under the Senate committee’s plan, only mining companies operating in the 20 poorest provinces would qualify for the special incentives.
The Department of Finance is gathering data on local government incomes to identify the provinces that would be covered.
The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) estimates that the mining sector can generate investments of $5-$7 billion annually in the medium term. It says the Philippines has $840 billion to $1 trillion worth of untapped mineral resources, and developing these would let the government collect an additional P17-P23 billion in taxes every year.
The Senate committee is concerned that removing financial incentives from mining investments might derail investment plans.
With INQ7.net
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
New mountain to scale for Everest climbers
First posted 05:23am (Mla time) June 21, 2006
By Blanche Rivera
Inquirer
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=1&index=1&story_id=5801
Editor's Note: Published on Page A1 of the June 21, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
FROM MOUNT Everest to Biak-na-Bato.
Leo Oracion and Erwin Emata, the first Filipinos to reach the world’s highest peak, have come a long way to save the national park in San Miguel town, Bulacan province.
The members of the First Philippine Mt. Everest Expedition (FPMEE) team will join the Trek to Save Biak-na-Bato next week to stop quarrying operations that are destroying the national park. FPMEE leader Arturo Valdez, Oracion, the first to reach the summit on May 17, and Emata, who followed a few hours later, had pledged to help the Bulacan provincial government and environmental groups stop marble quarrying in the historical and protected site.
Destruction of history
“I hope every Filipino supports this as well because it’s our history that’s being destroyed here,” Oracion said in Filipino during a press conference in Quezon City yesterday.
Recalling the first time he went to Biak-na-Bato five years ago and his last trek there last year, Oracion noted that the water level of the rivers had declined and trash was left by visitors in the park.
“I was really happy when I went there for the first time. If we destroy it, what will be left for us?” he said.
In a hearing two weeks ago, the Bulacan provincial government and environmentalists had asked the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to cancel the Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) granted to Rosemoor Mining and Development Corp. (RMDC) in December 2002.
The Bulacan provincial government and the environmentalists were still waiting for the decision of the DENR.Permit since 2002
The MPSA was given to RMDC despite a proclamation in 1989 which declared portions of Biak-na-Bato as protected areas. About 658 hectares had been declared a national park, 938 hectares a watershed forest reserve, 480 hectares a forest reserve and 953 hectares a mineral reservation.
The MPSA was granted in 2002 by former Environment Secretary Heherson T. Alvarez who gave RMDC a permit to extract marble in a 330-hectare area within the mineral reservation.
“As people were interested in our climb to Mt. Everest, we hope they will also be interested in Biak-na-Bato. We are wiping out a national patrimony here, and that is a powerful message,” Valdez said. “This is not just about the desecration of a national heritage but of the environment as well,” he added.
Florentino Narciso, another FPMEE member and a University of the Philippines Mountaineer, said his group often took high school and college students to Biak-na-Bato for their first trek because it was the best place for hiking near Metro Manila.
“As we say, protect nature and nature will protect us. We’re here to support the campaign to save Biak-na-Bato for the future generations,” Emata said.Because of its historical significance, Biak-na-Bato was declared a national park by President Manuel L. Quezon on Nov. 16, 1937.
The mountain that extends all the way to San Miguel, Bulacan, served as a base for Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo and his 500 men who escaped from Spanish troops in Batangas province.
Deep into mountain
According to local lore, there was a marble slab in one of the stalactite-filled caves that served as the table on which Aguinaldo signed the historic peace pact with the Spaniards.Quarrying operations, however, had been moved deeper into the mountains despite strong anti-quarrying lobbying by Bulacan government officials. This was because the regional director of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau of the DENR continued to issue ore transport permits to RMDC.
By Blanche Rivera
Inquirer
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=1&index=1&story_id=5801
Editor's Note: Published on Page A1 of the June 21, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
FROM MOUNT Everest to Biak-na-Bato.
Leo Oracion and Erwin Emata, the first Filipinos to reach the world’s highest peak, have come a long way to save the national park in San Miguel town, Bulacan province.
The members of the First Philippine Mt. Everest Expedition (FPMEE) team will join the Trek to Save Biak-na-Bato next week to stop quarrying operations that are destroying the national park. FPMEE leader Arturo Valdez, Oracion, the first to reach the summit on May 17, and Emata, who followed a few hours later, had pledged to help the Bulacan provincial government and environmental groups stop marble quarrying in the historical and protected site.
Destruction of history
“I hope every Filipino supports this as well because it’s our history that’s being destroyed here,” Oracion said in Filipino during a press conference in Quezon City yesterday.
Recalling the first time he went to Biak-na-Bato five years ago and his last trek there last year, Oracion noted that the water level of the rivers had declined and trash was left by visitors in the park.
“I was really happy when I went there for the first time. If we destroy it, what will be left for us?” he said.
In a hearing two weeks ago, the Bulacan provincial government and environmentalists had asked the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to cancel the Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) granted to Rosemoor Mining and Development Corp. (RMDC) in December 2002.
The Bulacan provincial government and the environmentalists were still waiting for the decision of the DENR.Permit since 2002
The MPSA was given to RMDC despite a proclamation in 1989 which declared portions of Biak-na-Bato as protected areas. About 658 hectares had been declared a national park, 938 hectares a watershed forest reserve, 480 hectares a forest reserve and 953 hectares a mineral reservation.
The MPSA was granted in 2002 by former Environment Secretary Heherson T. Alvarez who gave RMDC a permit to extract marble in a 330-hectare area within the mineral reservation.
“As people were interested in our climb to Mt. Everest, we hope they will also be interested in Biak-na-Bato. We are wiping out a national patrimony here, and that is a powerful message,” Valdez said. “This is not just about the desecration of a national heritage but of the environment as well,” he added.
Florentino Narciso, another FPMEE member and a University of the Philippines Mountaineer, said his group often took high school and college students to Biak-na-Bato for their first trek because it was the best place for hiking near Metro Manila.
“As we say, protect nature and nature will protect us. We’re here to support the campaign to save Biak-na-Bato for the future generations,” Emata said.Because of its historical significance, Biak-na-Bato was declared a national park by President Manuel L. Quezon on Nov. 16, 1937.
The mountain that extends all the way to San Miguel, Bulacan, served as a base for Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo and his 500 men who escaped from Spanish troops in Batangas province.
Deep into mountain
According to local lore, there was a marble slab in one of the stalactite-filled caves that served as the table on which Aguinaldo signed the historic peace pact with the Spaniards.Quarrying operations, however, had been moved deeper into the mountains despite strong anti-quarrying lobbying by Bulacan government officials. This was because the regional director of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau of the DENR continued to issue ore transport permits to RMDC.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Firm praised for efforts to protect environment
First posted 09:13am (Mla time) June 19, 2006
By Vicente Labro
Inquirer
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=1&index=1&story_id=5446
Editor's Note: Published on page B2-3 of the June 19, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
TACLOBAN CITY--THE PHILIPPINE Associated Smelting and Refining Corp. does more than just refine copper and export it to the world market.
Based in Isabel town in Leyte, about 160 kilometers from here, Pasar maintains a fish sanctuary, recycles its effluents so that waste will not pollute the sea and spends money on reforestation. It also has an acid plant facility that allows it to collect sulfuric acid produced by its plant, instead of releasing it into the air.
For its efforts, Pasar has been recognized by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources as one of its environmental partners in the region.
Mirardo C. Malazarte Jr., Pasar senior vice president for operations and production, said he was happy that Pasar's effort to protect the environment was recognized. He stressed, however, that Pasar does not invest in environmental protection measures just to win an award.
"It is important for us because we stay here," he said.
Pasar, the country's lone copper smelting and refining firm, spends millions of dollars on making its plants more environment friendly, while striving to increase production.
Malazarte said Pasar would spend about $8 million for a new Dore plant to replace its existing 22-year-old facility.
He said the new Dore plant, which would be completed by December this year, "has higher recoveries and uses very clean technology."
Pasar wants to raise production to take advantage of the good market price for its products.
Pasar produces high quality electrolytic copper cathodes, the raw materials for the manufacture of various kinds of electric cables, telecommunication wires, copper shapes and copper-alloy products.
It also produces refined copper anode as well as by-products such as dore, sulfuric acid, selenium, slag, iron concentrates and gypsum, and copper residues.
Main buyers of Pasar products, according to Malazarte, are China, Taiwan, Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.
Malazarte said that Pasar has completed the expansion of the smelter that increased production by 20 percent, or an output capacity of about 720,000 tons of copper concentrates a year.
He added that they are in the process of upgrading their refinery at a cost of about $27 million, and once completed in June next year it would give the company a cathode output capacity of about 215,000 tons a year.
The Pasar port, which is currently undergoing expansion at a cost of about $7 million, could already handle 50,000 tons of vessels when completed in November 2006, he said.
By Vicente Labro
Inquirer
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=1&index=1&story_id=5446
Editor's Note: Published on page B2-3 of the June 19, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
TACLOBAN CITY--THE PHILIPPINE Associated Smelting and Refining Corp. does more than just refine copper and export it to the world market.
Based in Isabel town in Leyte, about 160 kilometers from here, Pasar maintains a fish sanctuary, recycles its effluents so that waste will not pollute the sea and spends money on reforestation. It also has an acid plant facility that allows it to collect sulfuric acid produced by its plant, instead of releasing it into the air.
For its efforts, Pasar has been recognized by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources as one of its environmental partners in the region.
Mirardo C. Malazarte Jr., Pasar senior vice president for operations and production, said he was happy that Pasar's effort to protect the environment was recognized. He stressed, however, that Pasar does not invest in environmental protection measures just to win an award.
"It is important for us because we stay here," he said.
Pasar, the country's lone copper smelting and refining firm, spends millions of dollars on making its plants more environment friendly, while striving to increase production.
Malazarte said Pasar would spend about $8 million for a new Dore plant to replace its existing 22-year-old facility.
He said the new Dore plant, which would be completed by December this year, "has higher recoveries and uses very clean technology."
Pasar wants to raise production to take advantage of the good market price for its products.
Pasar produces high quality electrolytic copper cathodes, the raw materials for the manufacture of various kinds of electric cables, telecommunication wires, copper shapes and copper-alloy products.
It also produces refined copper anode as well as by-products such as dore, sulfuric acid, selenium, slag, iron concentrates and gypsum, and copper residues.
Main buyers of Pasar products, according to Malazarte, are China, Taiwan, Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.
Malazarte said that Pasar has completed the expansion of the smelter that increased production by 20 percent, or an output capacity of about 720,000 tons of copper concentrates a year.
He added that they are in the process of upgrading their refinery at a cost of about $27 million, and once completed in June next year it would give the company a cathode output capacity of about 215,000 tons a year.
The Pasar port, which is currently undergoing expansion at a cost of about $7 million, could already handle 50,000 tons of vessels when completed in November 2006, he said.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Fair review of incentives sought Mining firms react to planned DENR study on grant
First posted 03:02am (Mla time) June 15, 2006
By Christine A. Gaylican
Inquirer
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=1&index=1&story_id=4939
Editor's Note: Published on page B3 of the June 14, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
THE LOCAL mining industry is seeking a balanced and fair review of incentives granted to local mining companies.
The industry made the call in reaction to the plan of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to commission a study that will recommend ways to integrate and rationalize the granting of investment incentives to mining firms.
The DENR’s final report on Lafayette Mining Philippines Inc. indicated that there may have been “excessive incentives” given to mining firms that were unfavorable to the Philippine government.
Lafayette Mining Philippines obtained an economic zone status from the Philippine Economic Zone Authority and has been exempted from corporate and excise taxes for five years.
The Chamber of Mines of the Philippines, which groups medium and large-scale mining firms, on the other hand, said the fiscal incentives were necessary to attract foreign investors.
“The government must be careful in this aspect because the fiscal regime is part of what makes it attractive to investors,” Chamber of Mines president Benjamin Philip G. Romualdez said in an interview.
The independent organization Philippine Mine Safety and Environment Association (PMSEA), on the other hand, said that there might be a need to review the incentives granted to mining companies to avoid the confusion with the tax credits given by the national and provincial and municipal governments.
PMSEA president Ernesto C. Rodriguez said in a separate interview that the incentives and the tax requirements by local government units must be harmonized.
By Christine A. Gaylican
Inquirer
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=1&index=1&story_id=4939
Editor's Note: Published on page B3 of the June 14, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
THE LOCAL mining industry is seeking a balanced and fair review of incentives granted to local mining companies.
The industry made the call in reaction to the plan of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to commission a study that will recommend ways to integrate and rationalize the granting of investment incentives to mining firms.
The DENR’s final report on Lafayette Mining Philippines Inc. indicated that there may have been “excessive incentives” given to mining firms that were unfavorable to the Philippine government.
Lafayette Mining Philippines obtained an economic zone status from the Philippine Economic Zone Authority and has been exempted from corporate and excise taxes for five years.
The Chamber of Mines of the Philippines, which groups medium and large-scale mining firms, on the other hand, said the fiscal incentives were necessary to attract foreign investors.
“The government must be careful in this aspect because the fiscal regime is part of what makes it attractive to investors,” Chamber of Mines president Benjamin Philip G. Romualdez said in an interview.
The independent organization Philippine Mine Safety and Environment Association (PMSEA), on the other hand, said that there might be a need to review the incentives granted to mining companies to avoid the confusion with the tax credits given by the national and provincial and municipal governments.
PMSEA president Ernesto C. Rodriguez said in a separate interview that the incentives and the tax requirements by local government units must be harmonized.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Senator Cayetano inclined to revise RP mining act
First posted 12:59pm (Mla time) June 13, 2006
By Veronica Uy
INQ7.net
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=1&index=1&story_id=4718
(UPDATE) SENATOR Pia Cayetano, head of the committee on environment and natural resources and health and demography, indicated on Tuesday that she was more inclined to revise, not repeal, the Philippine Mining Act of 1995.
“The basic law provides the general parameter, the problem is with the implementation...Let's not be hasty in repealing the law because even the proponents of the repeal are clearly not for exploiting our natural resources for economic gain without balancing social and environmental impact,” Cayetano said after a hearing on the bills for repeal filed by Senators Ana Consuelo Madrigal and Sergio Osmeña III.
“Mining can be acceptable...We cannot live without mining unless we want to be completely dependent on the importation of key minerals,” said Cayetano who filed a bill to amend and revise the law.
Cayetano’s committee is currently hearing the different measures calling for a review, repeal, or amendment of the mining law.
Joyce Palacol of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) proposed strengthening the scoping process, which measures the social acceptability of a mining activity in an area.
“In the granting of environmental impact assessments, mining companies submit only attendance sheets, not actual agreements from the residents of the place,” Palacol said.
Palacol also proposed that government officials who would violate the law be sanctioned and that tax incentives be reviewed.
Jocelyn Villanueva, executive director of Legal Rights and Natural Resource Center, proposed that minerals to be extracted would be those that we need: iron and copper.
Dr. Lyn Panganiban, head of the National Poison Control Information Service of the University of the Philippines, noted that abandoned and existing mines not covered by the law continued to create “havoc” among the people in the mining communities. She cited an abandoned mine in Palawan province, which has caused developmental problems for kids as young as six months.
Dr. Carlos Primo David, associate professor at the National Institute for Geological Sciences of UP, recommended that safeguards “during and after” the mining activities be instituted. He said that the present mining law only required safeguards before the mining activities.
Earlier on Tuesday, Nelia Halcon, executive vice president of the ASEAN Federation of Mining Association, said the Philippine mining law was better in terms of environmental protection compared to the UK mining law, in indigenous peoples' protection compared to the US, in corporate social responsibility compared to Canada, and in control of environmental resources compared to Australia.
Halcon however was quick to point out that the problem with the Philippine mining law was in its implementation.
“May problema talaga sa implementation [There is really a problem in implementation]. While the people at the DENR [Department of Environment and Natural Resources] and the Mines and Geo-Sciences Bureau are efficient, the budget is really small. They cannot go and monitor mining violations as in Rapu-rapu because there's a cost to going there,” she said.
By Veronica Uy
INQ7.net
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=1&index=1&story_id=4718
(UPDATE) SENATOR Pia Cayetano, head of the committee on environment and natural resources and health and demography, indicated on Tuesday that she was more inclined to revise, not repeal, the Philippine Mining Act of 1995.
“The basic law provides the general parameter, the problem is with the implementation...Let's not be hasty in repealing the law because even the proponents of the repeal are clearly not for exploiting our natural resources for economic gain without balancing social and environmental impact,” Cayetano said after a hearing on the bills for repeal filed by Senators Ana Consuelo Madrigal and Sergio Osmeña III.
“Mining can be acceptable...We cannot live without mining unless we want to be completely dependent on the importation of key minerals,” said Cayetano who filed a bill to amend and revise the law.
Cayetano’s committee is currently hearing the different measures calling for a review, repeal, or amendment of the mining law.
Joyce Palacol of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) proposed strengthening the scoping process, which measures the social acceptability of a mining activity in an area.
“In the granting of environmental impact assessments, mining companies submit only attendance sheets, not actual agreements from the residents of the place,” Palacol said.
Palacol also proposed that government officials who would violate the law be sanctioned and that tax incentives be reviewed.
Jocelyn Villanueva, executive director of Legal Rights and Natural Resource Center, proposed that minerals to be extracted would be those that we need: iron and copper.
Dr. Lyn Panganiban, head of the National Poison Control Information Service of the University of the Philippines, noted that abandoned and existing mines not covered by the law continued to create “havoc” among the people in the mining communities. She cited an abandoned mine in Palawan province, which has caused developmental problems for kids as young as six months.
Dr. Carlos Primo David, associate professor at the National Institute for Geological Sciences of UP, recommended that safeguards “during and after” the mining activities be instituted. He said that the present mining law only required safeguards before the mining activities.
Earlier on Tuesday, Nelia Halcon, executive vice president of the ASEAN Federation of Mining Association, said the Philippine mining law was better in terms of environmental protection compared to the UK mining law, in indigenous peoples' protection compared to the US, in corporate social responsibility compared to Canada, and in control of environmental resources compared to Australia.
Halcon however was quick to point out that the problem with the Philippine mining law was in its implementation.
“May problema talaga sa implementation [There is really a problem in implementation]. While the people at the DENR [Department of Environment and Natural Resources] and the Mines and Geo-Sciences Bureau are efficient, the budget is really small. They cannot go and monitor mining violations as in Rapu-rapu because there's a cost to going there,” she said.
Friday, June 09, 2006
Mindoreños fight to protect their forests
http://www.pcij.org/blog/?p=995
Avigail Olarte on 9 June 2006 at 8:29 pm
pcij blogsite
IN 1994, Mindoro experienced its worst flooding in years. Heavy flash floods left many people dead, thousands were rendered homeless, and around P1.2 billion worth of goods and properties were damaged.
Mindoreños blamed the disaster on logging activities on the island. At that time, residents already raised fears over the island’s fast diminishing forest cover and the damage it will cause in the future.
True enough, when a series of flash floods hit Oriental Mindoro late last year, many of the villages were flooded. Again, thousands of people were displaced and P150-million worth of agricultural products were wasted. The massive flooding was partly due to the collapse of a dike in the town of Naujan, which consequently affected nearby towns; but the damage brought by the heavy rains would have been mitigated had the island’s forest and soils been better preserved.
In the 1950s, Mindoro had 967,400 hectares of forest. Today, the forest cover has diminished to 50,000 hectares, or a huge forest loss of 95 percent, according to the Alliance Against Mining (ALAMIN), a broad coalition of Mindoreños opposed to mining.
ALAMIN, along with other civic groups, Church leaders and the local government of Oriental Mindoro, are now waging a serious campaign against the entry of large-scale mining companies in their province.
Mining, they say, will further destroy their island, which is already “severely deforested” due to past logging and slash-and-burn practices.
“Because of deforestation, the farmers have already experienced droughts in summer and destructive floods in the rainy season. There is fear that the siltation of rivers, and consequently, flooding, would be made worse by strip mining, and that any floods would carry mine wastes into lowland communities,” the London-based Philippine Indigenous Peoples Links said in a report on Mindoro.
Just last month, ALAMIN sent a team on a lobbying mission across Europe. They spoke to members of the UK Parliament, investors, journalists, and nongovernmental organizations, discussing their opposition to mining, and in particular, the entry into Mindoro of a UK-based mining company.
“Considering the critical condition of Mindoro’s environment, the prospect of an environmental disaster in the island is not difficult to imagine,” ALAMIN said. “The deluge of large-scale mining applications in the province is very alarming.”
Mining is one of the top causes of massive deforestation, according to environment experts. In the Philippines, the Haribon Foundation has reported that “the largest and most direct causes of deforestation” are mining, large-scale logging, and land conversions.
The destruction of the country’s forests has also been described as the “most rapid and most massive in the world.”
As of last year, 35 national conservation priority areas are being threatened by mining tenements, and 32 other protected areas overlap with existing mining tenements, Haribon said.
It is estimated that the country’s forests will be reduced to 320,000 hectares of primary forest by 2010, if the present rate of deforestation continues.
Following the passage of the Philippine Mining Act in 1995, Mindoro saw a deluge of mining applications. The applications covered 367,796 hectares or 36% of the island territory; mostly in the ancestral lands of the Mangyans, where critical watershed areas and wildlife habitat are located.
This is precisely why the local government, along with several sectoral groups, have been campaigning against the entry of Crew Gold Corp.
Crew, through the locally registered Aglubang Mining Corp. Inc., intends to develop a large-scale nickel-cobalt mining project in an area straddling the Oriental and Occidental Mindoro.
The current concession area consists of 9,720 hectares and mining activities will mainly be concentrated in the town of Victoria.
Called the Mindoro Nickel project, it is listed among the government’s 24 priority mining projects. The Philippine Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines also sees the project as “one of the country’s five potentially major international-class mines,” and is expected “to produce amongst the cheapest nickel in the world.”
But for the people of Mindoro, the estimated $1-billion worth of potential investments the project will bring will not compensate for the destruction of their forests, the loss of biodiversity, diminished agricultural productivity, sedimentation of river waterways, and the flooding and erosion.
“The Mindoro Nickel Project is incompatible with the sustainable development agenda of the provincial government which is anchored on food security, eco-tourism and agro-industrial development,” the local government said in a resolution.
“Mining corporations should refrain from imposing their profit-driven agenda and in manipulating the national government’s bureaucracy, which have become too accommodating in promoting the plunder of our environment in exchange for investments,” it added.
It also doesn’t help that Crew proposes to dump its tailings on the sea bed through a process called submarine mine tailings disposal or STD. This is said to be a highly controversial process and is “effectively banned in Canada and the USA.”
The original exploration permit for the Mindoro project was issued in 1997 and renewed in 1999. It was said to be the first permit to be renewed in the Philippines under the mining law.
In 2000, the Aglubang Mining Corp. obtained its Minerals Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) for a certain portion of the concession area. The MPSA secured them rights “to develop and exploit the resource” over a 25-year period.
There were petitions, letters of protests, rallies and demonstrations, and at least 25,000 signatures were collected against the mining project. In 2001, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, through Secretary Heherson Alvarez, revoked the MPSA. On November that year, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo upheld the department’s decision.
The local government of Mindoro and the Mangyans considered this a victory. The provincial board of Oriental Mindoro even passed in 2002 a 25-year Mining Moratorium. This prohibited any person or business entity from engaging in “land clearing, prospecting, exploration, drilling, excavation, mining, transport of mineral ores,” in the area.
But in 2004, Arroyo revoked the order of cancellation and reinstated the MPSA. Arroyo, at that time, announced what she called her “10-point legacy agenda,” which, among others, promises the creation of 10 million jobs before she steps down in 2010. The revitalization of the mining industry, she said, will allow her to achieve this target.
Following the three consecutive floods that hit Oriental Mindoro in December 2005, the Apostolic Vicariate of Calapan issued a pastoral statement calling on Arroyo to respect “the overwhelming opposition of the people of Oriental Mindoro against the proposed mining operation.”
“The large-scale mining will result to more floods and disasters,” the letter reiterated, and warned that legal actions will be taken should Crew Gold continue with its operations. Crew has so far managed to complete 1,200 drill holes and test pits in Victoria, as part of the exploration stage of the project.
Crew, according to ALAMIN, has temporarily vacated the area following a large protest rally in January. Fr. Edwin Gariguez of ALAMIN says the company will definitely come back, as Crew fully intends to proceed with its operations in Mindoro.
But the local communities will not allow this to happen, and that is why both local and international groups are stepping up their campaigns against Crew, and all large-scale mining activities, in general.
Meanwhile, the Mangyan communities in Victoria are continuing their reforestation program. Banana and rambutan trees now cover a portion of the mining area and lanzones seedlings are now being planted
Avigail Olarte on 9 June 2006 at 8:29 pm
pcij blogsite
IN 1994, Mindoro experienced its worst flooding in years. Heavy flash floods left many people dead, thousands were rendered homeless, and around P1.2 billion worth of goods and properties were damaged.
Mindoreños blamed the disaster on logging activities on the island. At that time, residents already raised fears over the island’s fast diminishing forest cover and the damage it will cause in the future.
True enough, when a series of flash floods hit Oriental Mindoro late last year, many of the villages were flooded. Again, thousands of people were displaced and P150-million worth of agricultural products were wasted. The massive flooding was partly due to the collapse of a dike in the town of Naujan, which consequently affected nearby towns; but the damage brought by the heavy rains would have been mitigated had the island’s forest and soils been better preserved.
In the 1950s, Mindoro had 967,400 hectares of forest. Today, the forest cover has diminished to 50,000 hectares, or a huge forest loss of 95 percent, according to the Alliance Against Mining (ALAMIN), a broad coalition of Mindoreños opposed to mining.
ALAMIN, along with other civic groups, Church leaders and the local government of Oriental Mindoro, are now waging a serious campaign against the entry of large-scale mining companies in their province.
Mining, they say, will further destroy their island, which is already “severely deforested” due to past logging and slash-and-burn practices.
“Because of deforestation, the farmers have already experienced droughts in summer and destructive floods in the rainy season. There is fear that the siltation of rivers, and consequently, flooding, would be made worse by strip mining, and that any floods would carry mine wastes into lowland communities,” the London-based Philippine Indigenous Peoples Links said in a report on Mindoro.
Just last month, ALAMIN sent a team on a lobbying mission across Europe. They spoke to members of the UK Parliament, investors, journalists, and nongovernmental organizations, discussing their opposition to mining, and in particular, the entry into Mindoro of a UK-based mining company.
“Considering the critical condition of Mindoro’s environment, the prospect of an environmental disaster in the island is not difficult to imagine,” ALAMIN said. “The deluge of large-scale mining applications in the province is very alarming.”
Mining is one of the top causes of massive deforestation, according to environment experts. In the Philippines, the Haribon Foundation has reported that “the largest and most direct causes of deforestation” are mining, large-scale logging, and land conversions.
The destruction of the country’s forests has also been described as the “most rapid and most massive in the world.”
As of last year, 35 national conservation priority areas are being threatened by mining tenements, and 32 other protected areas overlap with existing mining tenements, Haribon said.
It is estimated that the country’s forests will be reduced to 320,000 hectares of primary forest by 2010, if the present rate of deforestation continues.
Following the passage of the Philippine Mining Act in 1995, Mindoro saw a deluge of mining applications. The applications covered 367,796 hectares or 36% of the island territory; mostly in the ancestral lands of the Mangyans, where critical watershed areas and wildlife habitat are located.
This is precisely why the local government, along with several sectoral groups, have been campaigning against the entry of Crew Gold Corp.
Crew, through the locally registered Aglubang Mining Corp. Inc., intends to develop a large-scale nickel-cobalt mining project in an area straddling the Oriental and Occidental Mindoro.
The current concession area consists of 9,720 hectares and mining activities will mainly be concentrated in the town of Victoria.
Called the Mindoro Nickel project, it is listed among the government’s 24 priority mining projects. The Philippine Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines also sees the project as “one of the country’s five potentially major international-class mines,” and is expected “to produce amongst the cheapest nickel in the world.”
But for the people of Mindoro, the estimated $1-billion worth of potential investments the project will bring will not compensate for the destruction of their forests, the loss of biodiversity, diminished agricultural productivity, sedimentation of river waterways, and the flooding and erosion.
“The Mindoro Nickel Project is incompatible with the sustainable development agenda of the provincial government which is anchored on food security, eco-tourism and agro-industrial development,” the local government said in a resolution.
“Mining corporations should refrain from imposing their profit-driven agenda and in manipulating the national government’s bureaucracy, which have become too accommodating in promoting the plunder of our environment in exchange for investments,” it added.
It also doesn’t help that Crew proposes to dump its tailings on the sea bed through a process called submarine mine tailings disposal or STD. This is said to be a highly controversial process and is “effectively banned in Canada and the USA.”
The original exploration permit for the Mindoro project was issued in 1997 and renewed in 1999. It was said to be the first permit to be renewed in the Philippines under the mining law.
In 2000, the Aglubang Mining Corp. obtained its Minerals Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) for a certain portion of the concession area. The MPSA secured them rights “to develop and exploit the resource” over a 25-year period.
There were petitions, letters of protests, rallies and demonstrations, and at least 25,000 signatures were collected against the mining project. In 2001, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, through Secretary Heherson Alvarez, revoked the MPSA. On November that year, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo upheld the department’s decision.
The local government of Mindoro and the Mangyans considered this a victory. The provincial board of Oriental Mindoro even passed in 2002 a 25-year Mining Moratorium. This prohibited any person or business entity from engaging in “land clearing, prospecting, exploration, drilling, excavation, mining, transport of mineral ores,” in the area.
But in 2004, Arroyo revoked the order of cancellation and reinstated the MPSA. Arroyo, at that time, announced what she called her “10-point legacy agenda,” which, among others, promises the creation of 10 million jobs before she steps down in 2010. The revitalization of the mining industry, she said, will allow her to achieve this target.
Following the three consecutive floods that hit Oriental Mindoro in December 2005, the Apostolic Vicariate of Calapan issued a pastoral statement calling on Arroyo to respect “the overwhelming opposition of the people of Oriental Mindoro against the proposed mining operation.”
“The large-scale mining will result to more floods and disasters,” the letter reiterated, and warned that legal actions will be taken should Crew Gold continue with its operations. Crew has so far managed to complete 1,200 drill holes and test pits in Victoria, as part of the exploration stage of the project.
Crew, according to ALAMIN, has temporarily vacated the area following a large protest rally in January. Fr. Edwin Gariguez of ALAMIN says the company will definitely come back, as Crew fully intends to proceed with its operations in Mindoro.
But the local communities will not allow this to happen, and that is why both local and international groups are stepping up their campaigns against Crew, and all large-scale mining activities, in general.
Meanwhile, the Mangyan communities in Victoria are continuing their reforestation program. Banana and rambutan trees now cover a portion of the mining area and lanzones seedlings are now being planted
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Mining beckons, Gloria tells Chinese traders
By Joyce Pangco Pañares
http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=politics04_june06_2006
PresidenT Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has urged Chinese businessmen to take position in the local mining sector and benefit from its resurgence.
Speaking before a 300-strong Chinese delegation led by Chinese Minister of Commerce Bo Xilai, Mrs. Arroyo said the local mining industry is booming. “The Philippines is well poised as far as mining is concerned. We have a $1 trillion mineral wealth and the Philippines is one of the world’s top five source countries for deposits of copper, gold, iron and nickel.” The President spoke at the closing ceremony of the two-day Philippines-China Economic Forum held at the Manila Hotel yesterday, with 200 company executives from the biggest companies in China among the audience.
One of the companies is Jin Chuan Shanghai Non-Ferrous Metals Corp., a major investor in the $1 billion rehabilitation and reopening of the Nonoc Nickel Mines in Surigao.
Mrs. Arroyo’s statement came as an assurance to multinational mining firms that the government remains committed to the full implementation of the 1995 Mining Law.
For his part, Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said Mrs. Arroyo will not seek the revision of the mining law, which allows foreign mining companies to operate on a large scale.
The government expects the mining industry to generate $5 billion to $7 billion annually in foreign exchange as well as create a quarter of a million jobs over the next six years.
Mining industry leaders have warned that a total ban will send the wrong signal to potential investors hoping to cash in on the country’s $1 trillion mineral wealth, adding that a balanced policy that will protect the environment while promoting a good business climate is needed.
President Arroyo has earlier urged foreign mining firms to spend at least 3 to 5 percent of direct mining and milling costs on the government’s environmental programs annually and to devote at least 10 percent of their capital expenditures to fund environmental projects.
http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=politics04_june06_2006
PresidenT Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has urged Chinese businessmen to take position in the local mining sector and benefit from its resurgence.
Speaking before a 300-strong Chinese delegation led by Chinese Minister of Commerce Bo Xilai, Mrs. Arroyo said the local mining industry is booming. “The Philippines is well poised as far as mining is concerned. We have a $1 trillion mineral wealth and the Philippines is one of the world’s top five source countries for deposits of copper, gold, iron and nickel.” The President spoke at the closing ceremony of the two-day Philippines-China Economic Forum held at the Manila Hotel yesterday, with 200 company executives from the biggest companies in China among the audience.
One of the companies is Jin Chuan Shanghai Non-Ferrous Metals Corp., a major investor in the $1 billion rehabilitation and reopening of the Nonoc Nickel Mines in Surigao.
Mrs. Arroyo’s statement came as an assurance to multinational mining firms that the government remains committed to the full implementation of the 1995 Mining Law.
For his part, Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said Mrs. Arroyo will not seek the revision of the mining law, which allows foreign mining companies to operate on a large scale.
The government expects the mining industry to generate $5 billion to $7 billion annually in foreign exchange as well as create a quarter of a million jobs over the next six years.
Mining industry leaders have warned that a total ban will send the wrong signal to potential investors hoping to cash in on the country’s $1 trillion mineral wealth, adding that a balanced policy that will protect the environment while promoting a good business climate is needed.
President Arroyo has earlier urged foreign mining firms to spend at least 3 to 5 percent of direct mining and milling costs on the government’s environmental programs annually and to devote at least 10 percent of their capital expenditures to fund environmental projects.
Monday, June 05, 2006
Laoag flood control
DPWH reports completion of Laoag flood control project
by Cristina Arzadon
PIA Press Release 06/05/2006
http://www.pia.gov.ph/news.asp?fi=p060605.htm&no=51
by Cristina Arzadon
PIA Press Release 06/05/2006
http://www.pia.gov.ph/news.asp?fi=p060605.htm&no=51
LAOAG CITY (5 June) -- The Department of Public Works and Highways said residents in this capital city and nearby San Nicolas town can expect to be flood-free during the typhoon period with the completion of a floodwall system along the Laoag River.
The floodwall, stretching from barangay Nalbo here to nearby San Nicolas, is part of a dike structure that the DPWH had started constructing along the Laoag River last year.
Pres. Macapagal-Arroyo identified the three-year Laoag river basin flood control and sabo dam project as a priority by tapping the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) to fund the program. The project is expected to be completed in 2008.
Ryuichiro Yamazaki, Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines, made a two-day visit to this capital city last week to check the status of the flood control project and other infrastructures built under the Official Development Assistance program.
Arroyo has declared July 23 as Philippine-Japan Friendship Day while this year marks the 50th commemoration of the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries after second World War.
Yamazaki met briefly with Laoag Mayor Michael Fariñas and Ilocos Norte Vice Gov. Windell Chua last Friday before motoring to the different project sites around the province.
Fariñas is hopeful that the river control structure will be the answer to frequent flooding problems in three villages north of the Laoag River here.
“This project is not only a solution to our flooding problems. It can also serve as another tourist attraction similar to the Baywalk (along Roxas Boulevard in Manila), Fariñas said.
Inspired by Manila’s Baywalk attraction, the city government had developed a mini park locally known as the Laoag boulevard along the northern section of the Laoag river dike.
The river control projects, consisting of two packages, involve the construction of five sabo dams in four Ilocos Norte towns worth P850 million and dike construction including river improvement works worth P2.2 billion spanning the towns of Dingras, Solsona, Marcos, Banna, Nueva Era including this city.
The dike system will span a total of 87 kilometers covering five towns and this city.
The DPWH has tapped Japanese contractors, Toyo Construction Corp. and Hanjin Heavy Industries Construction Corp. to build the projects.
Engr. Glen Reyes, of the DPWH flood control and sabo dam project, said floodwaters coming from the Laoag River spill over to low-lying areas on opposite sections of the river and, in the process, submerging houses, farmlands including San Nicolas town’s business area.
“There are no more gaps in those areas because we have sealed the dike. Instead, of spilling over to the communities, floodwaters will flow directly to the Laoag river,” he said.
Reyes said two of the five sabo dams are near completion while the rest are 50 percent completed.
The dams are being built in the towns of Carasi, Solsona, Dingras and Nueva Era where major rivers are located.
Reyes said the project is a solution to river sedimentation problems that had caused rives to swell easily resulting to flooding in the province. (PIA)
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Water bottle caused mining incident
How lowly water bottle caused big mining incident
By Gil C. Cabacungan Jr. Philippine Daily Inquirer June 4, 2006
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=0&index=1&story_id=78013
WHO would have thought an insignificant water bottle would cause the most talked-about mining incident in the post-Mining Act era?
Based on the report of the Rapu-Rapu Fact-Finding Commission led by Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes, “an empty bottle of mineral water was found sucked by the main pump believed to be the cause of its malfunction.”
With the main pump down and the second pump under repair—after malfunctioning several times prior to the incident—there was no other backup pump available. This led to the overflow of the tailings pond into Rapu-Rapu island’s water system, which led to a fish kill and loss of the residents’ main source of livelihood.
Rapu-Rapu commission vice chair Charlie Avila told the Inquirer that the water bottle glaringly showed the ineptitude and laxity of Lafayette Mining Ltd.’s management team on the island.
Inexplicable, inexcusable
“It (the water bottle) should have been in a trash can but somehow, it found its way into the pumping system. That is inexplicable and inexcusable, it should have not happened had management been more responsible of its role in protecting the environment,” Avila said.
In an interview, spokesperson Bayani Agabin admitted that the previous management was not that “concerned,” which was why the water bottle found its way into the main pump.
But Agabin said the water bottle should not be blamed for setting off the chain reaction that led to the mine spill because it was only one of several factors that contributed to the pond overflow.
In a forum sponsored by the Philippine Mine Safety and Environment Association (PMSEA) last Tuesday, Lafayette officials conceded that management should have been more “hands-on” in running the polymetal mine. They said this was the reason the Australian firm replaced the foreigners in the team with Filipino executives to ensure that critical management would always be on-site and that they would be more dedicated in their jobs.
PMSEA treasurer Patrick Caoile said the forum was significant because it was one of the few times the Bastes commission and Lafayette attended a neutral forum to clear the issues on Rapu-Rapu that had brought the entire mining industry under harsh criticism.
The forum moderator, Ennoble Management Consulting Corp. director Blaine N. Lee, said it would be a “miracle” if the two groups reached an understanding and moved on after the incident.
During the forum, Avila clarified that the Bastes commission report should not be seen as an antimining paper as perceived in some media reports.
Moratorium
Avila said the commission recommended a moratorium and not a ban on mining on Rapu-Rapu island until all the safety precautions had been taken. He said the commission also did not call for a repeal of the Mining Act which allows foreign investors to take a controlling stake in major exploration ventures.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Shangri-la warned on water extraction
http://www.malaya.com.ph/jun12/envi2.html
Malaya June 1, 2006
The National Water Resources Board (NWRB) has issued a warning against Makati Shangri-La Hotel for extracting more groundwater that it is permitted in violation of the Water Code.
NWRB Executive Director Ramon Alikpala said the establishment is permitted to extract water from the underground aquifer by only 0.1 liters per second (LPS) or around 260 cubic meters per month.
But an inspection by NWRB showed that the well used by the hotel is drawing 13.12 LPS of groundwater or 131 times its allowable rate.
This equates to around 34,620 cubic meters per month, which is enough to service some 1,200 households in Metro Manila with a month’s worth of water supply.
Alikpala, in a letter to Makati Shangri-La, ordered the hotel to immediately limit its groundwater extraction to the allowable limits based on its permit issued by the NWRB.
He said appropriate fines and charges will be assessed against the establishment later this week.
NWRB has been saying that over-extraction of water from aquifers has contributed to cause over half of Metro Manila’s water sources to be contaminated with disease-causing bacteria.
To address the rampant extraction of groundwater, NWRB has been coordinating with local government units and water concessionaires Manila Water and Maynilad to identify deep well extractors in the metropolis.
Since 2004, the board has issued over 122 cease and desist orders to commercial establishments in Metro Manila that have been illegally extracting water or those drawing groundwater above the allowable limits of existing permits.
Malaya June 1, 2006
The National Water Resources Board (NWRB) has issued a warning against Makati Shangri-La Hotel for extracting more groundwater that it is permitted in violation of the Water Code.
NWRB Executive Director Ramon Alikpala said the establishment is permitted to extract water from the underground aquifer by only 0.1 liters per second (LPS) or around 260 cubic meters per month.
But an inspection by NWRB showed that the well used by the hotel is drawing 13.12 LPS of groundwater or 131 times its allowable rate.
This equates to around 34,620 cubic meters per month, which is enough to service some 1,200 households in Metro Manila with a month’s worth of water supply.
Alikpala, in a letter to Makati Shangri-La, ordered the hotel to immediately limit its groundwater extraction to the allowable limits based on its permit issued by the NWRB.
He said appropriate fines and charges will be assessed against the establishment later this week.
NWRB has been saying that over-extraction of water from aquifers has contributed to cause over half of Metro Manila’s water sources to be contaminated with disease-causing bacteria.
To address the rampant extraction of groundwater, NWRB has been coordinating with local government units and water concessionaires Manila Water and Maynilad to identify deep well extractors in the metropolis.
Since 2004, the board has issued over 122 cease and desist orders to commercial establishments in Metro Manila that have been illegally extracting water or those drawing groundwater above the allowable limits of existing permits.
European community funds forestpreservation in four provinces
http://www.malaya.com.ph/jun01/envi1.html
Malaya June 1, 2006
FOUR remote provinces in the Philippines harbor biologically diverse, yet highly endangered forests. Through the GOLDEN Forests, a five-year project grant awarded by the European Community to the Haribon Foundation, there is hope to breathe life back to these forests.
On December 21, 2005, the European Community (EC) awarded a five-year project grant of P1,439,269 to the Haribon Foundation. The project, Governance and Local Development for Endangered Forests or GOLDEN Forests.
Bringing life back to Mt. Irid Angilo in the provinces of Quezon, Aurora, Bulacan and Rizal; Mt. Hilong-Hilong and Diwata in Agusan, and Surigao; and Zambales mountains in Zambales is the project aim. Economic support for the poor and marginalized communities living in these areas is also part of the assistance package.
The GOLDEN Forest areas have been selected based on their biological importance quantified in terms of species richness and watershed functions, as well as the extent of threats they are facing. Except for the Zambales Mountains, all the project sites are habitats of the Philippine Eagle, the country’s national bird and a flagship species for conservation.
The GOLDEN Forests is the second EC project grant to Haribon. The first one, implemented in 2001 to 2004, was the Integration of Forest Management with Local Governance (IFCLGP) in Mindoro, Antique and Surigao del Sur provinces.
Projects like IFCLGP and GOLDEN guide the local communities and local government consider forest conservation in their planning and decision-making for development, said Noel Resurreccion, Haribon Site Conservation Department Manager. He also cited that the implementation of the GOLDEN Forests is very timely and relevant as the Foundation gears up for its nationwide campaign to restore one million hectares of denuded forests by year 2020.
Restoring the remaining forests is of outmost importance because as cited by a Filipino scientist, Dr. Sajise, an archipelago like the Philippines needs 54 percent forest cover to be able to adequately perform its ecological functions, Resurreccion said.
Malaya June 1, 2006
FOUR remote provinces in the Philippines harbor biologically diverse, yet highly endangered forests. Through the GOLDEN Forests, a five-year project grant awarded by the European Community to the Haribon Foundation, there is hope to breathe life back to these forests.
On December 21, 2005, the European Community (EC) awarded a five-year project grant of P1,439,269 to the Haribon Foundation. The project, Governance and Local Development for Endangered Forests or GOLDEN Forests.
Bringing life back to Mt. Irid Angilo in the provinces of Quezon, Aurora, Bulacan and Rizal; Mt. Hilong-Hilong and Diwata in Agusan, and Surigao; and Zambales mountains in Zambales is the project aim. Economic support for the poor and marginalized communities living in these areas is also part of the assistance package.
The GOLDEN Forest areas have been selected based on their biological importance quantified in terms of species richness and watershed functions, as well as the extent of threats they are facing. Except for the Zambales Mountains, all the project sites are habitats of the Philippine Eagle, the country’s national bird and a flagship species for conservation.
The GOLDEN Forests is the second EC project grant to Haribon. The first one, implemented in 2001 to 2004, was the Integration of Forest Management with Local Governance (IFCLGP) in Mindoro, Antique and Surigao del Sur provinces.
Projects like IFCLGP and GOLDEN guide the local communities and local government consider forest conservation in their planning and decision-making for development, said Noel Resurreccion, Haribon Site Conservation Department Manager. He also cited that the implementation of the GOLDEN Forests is very timely and relevant as the Foundation gears up for its nationwide campaign to restore one million hectares of denuded forests by year 2020.
Restoring the remaining forests is of outmost importance because as cited by a Filipino scientist, Dr. Sajise, an archipelago like the Philippines needs 54 percent forest cover to be able to adequately perform its ecological functions, Resurreccion said.
Pro Lafayette prayer rally
Prayer rally supports mining in Rapu-Rapu
By Ephraim Aguilar, Norman Bordadora
Philippine Daily Inquirer June 01, 2006
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=0&index=1&story_id=77703
AS ENVIRONMENT Secretary Angelo Reyes ponders the fate of its Rapu-Rapu operations, Lafayette Philippines Inc. says its mining project in Albay province deserves a second chance despite hefty fines and rehabilitation costs from two 2005 spills that forced the company to suspend operations.
Reyes yesterday held a dialogue with representatives of a fact-finding commission, Lafayette officials, environmental groups and technical experts at the University of the Philippines campus in Diliman, Quezon City. He is expected to issue a ruling next week at the latest.
Lafayette officials and consultants laid out the case for the resumption of the company’s Rapu-Rapu mining operations to a generally hostile audience of students, academics and environmental groups who showed their disapproval at some of the company’s statements.
On Tuesday, some 15,000 people from various sectors and communities attended a Lafayette-sponsored prayer rally at the Albay Astrodome in Legazpi City. Their battle cry: “It is better to light a candle for responsible mining than just to curse darkness for past environmental sins.”
People from different communities in Albay and Sorsogon provinces, as well as nongovernment and religious organizations, attended the rally. Doves and 1,000 prayer-laden balloons were released.
“I think everybody who has done a mistake deserves a second chance, as long as the mistake is not something that has caused the world to collapse or has caused death,” said Julito Sarmiento, Lafayette director and corporate secretary.
Fr. Noe delos Santos, rector of the Mater Salutis Seminary in Daraga, Albay, led the prayer and reflection during the rally, but Bishop Lucilo Quiambao of Legazpi said the Catholic Church had nothing to do with the show of support for the mining project.
The Rapu-Rapu Fact Finding Commission (RRFC) headed by Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes has recommended to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo the closure of the Rapu-Rapu mine, as well as a review of the 1995 Mining Act. Ms Arroyo has rejected a call to review the mining law, while Environment Secretary Reyes said he would hear all sides first before ruling on Lafayette’s bid to resume operations.
Still viable
Carmelita Pacis, Rapu-Rapu Minerals Inc. environmental management chief, told Agence France Presse the company had spent about P400 million to rehabilitate the open-pit polymetallic mine, on top of paying record fines.
There has been concern in the mining industry about the viability of the project, operations of which have been suspended for seven months, as regulators barred its reopening pending compliance with a tough set of remedial measures.
The Lafayette incident is seen as a test case of the Arroyo administration’s commitment to mining investments, as well as enforcement of environmental safeguards.
“Of course, we still are (viable),” Pacis said on the sidelines of the public forum on the Rapu-Rapu case, adding: “Otherwise we would not be here.”
Pacis said the company had essentially completed compliance with 21 conditions imposed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for the reopening of the mine, which suffered a spill at its mill site on Oct. 11, 2005 and on its tailings dam on Oct. 31, 2005. Mine opponents alleged the spills killed fish.
“We feel that our company has complied with all 21 conditions,” Pacis told the forum.
The Australian parent firm puts Rapu-Rapu’s proven ore reserve at 5.85 million tons of 2.5 grams per ton of gold, 28.1 grams per ton of silver, 1.2 percent copper and 2.1 percent zinc.
Dissenter
The lone dissenter to the report of the RRFC wants the government to allow the test run of the P1.4-billion polymetallic project to settle once and for all the issues surrounding the Lafayette mining operations.
“I wish to stress that, for lack of any specific data or clear factual basis, I am not prepared to condemn Lafayette or the project. In the same manner, I am also not prepared to completely exonerate it for the incidents,” RRFC member Greg Tabuena said in his dissenting report.
Tabuena, a former forester, has served as consultant to several firms and has participated in environmental impact assessment studies.
In his report, copies of which were distributed among members of the media at the DENR dialogue with commission members and Lafayette representatives, Tabuena voiced his misgivings about the conduct of the fact-finding study.
He said the Bastes Commission “appeared to be prosecutorial” while conducting the investigation.
“The foregoing discussion only shows that further data gathering, which should be reliable and unbiased, should be conducted by credible organizations who are proven experts in the area,” Tabuena said.
“It would not be amiss for me to recommend further that Lafayette’s request for a test run for its operations, under strict scrutiny and observation by the proper authorities and private experts, be granted by the DENR.”
Not fair enough
Tabuena said the function of the commission was to determine facts based on accurate and scientific data in an objective and impartial manner.
The commission was tasked to investigate the effects of the mining operation on people’s health and environmental safety in the municipality of Rapu-Rapu in Albay, and the towns of Prieto Diaz, Gubat, Barcelona, Bulusan and Bacon in Sorsogon.
“I, therefore, cannot affix my signature and stake my name and professional reputation in the said report. I cannot, with a clear conscience, conclude that the commission has been fair to all interested parties and that the report was indeed an impartial and objective one,” Tabuena said.
Tabuena said no connection had been established between the Rapu-Rapu mining spills and the fishkill in Sorsogon.
By Ephraim Aguilar, Norman Bordadora
Philippine Daily Inquirer June 01, 2006
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=0&index=1&story_id=77703
AS ENVIRONMENT Secretary Angelo Reyes ponders the fate of its Rapu-Rapu operations, Lafayette Philippines Inc. says its mining project in Albay province deserves a second chance despite hefty fines and rehabilitation costs from two 2005 spills that forced the company to suspend operations.
Reyes yesterday held a dialogue with representatives of a fact-finding commission, Lafayette officials, environmental groups and technical experts at the University of the Philippines campus in Diliman, Quezon City. He is expected to issue a ruling next week at the latest.
Lafayette officials and consultants laid out the case for the resumption of the company’s Rapu-Rapu mining operations to a generally hostile audience of students, academics and environmental groups who showed their disapproval at some of the company’s statements.
On Tuesday, some 15,000 people from various sectors and communities attended a Lafayette-sponsored prayer rally at the Albay Astrodome in Legazpi City. Their battle cry: “It is better to light a candle for responsible mining than just to curse darkness for past environmental sins.”
People from different communities in Albay and Sorsogon provinces, as well as nongovernment and religious organizations, attended the rally. Doves and 1,000 prayer-laden balloons were released.
“I think everybody who has done a mistake deserves a second chance, as long as the mistake is not something that has caused the world to collapse or has caused death,” said Julito Sarmiento, Lafayette director and corporate secretary.
Fr. Noe delos Santos, rector of the Mater Salutis Seminary in Daraga, Albay, led the prayer and reflection during the rally, but Bishop Lucilo Quiambao of Legazpi said the Catholic Church had nothing to do with the show of support for the mining project.
The Rapu-Rapu Fact Finding Commission (RRFC) headed by Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes has recommended to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo the closure of the Rapu-Rapu mine, as well as a review of the 1995 Mining Act. Ms Arroyo has rejected a call to review the mining law, while Environment Secretary Reyes said he would hear all sides first before ruling on Lafayette’s bid to resume operations.
Still viable
Carmelita Pacis, Rapu-Rapu Minerals Inc. environmental management chief, told Agence France Presse the company had spent about P400 million to rehabilitate the open-pit polymetallic mine, on top of paying record fines.
There has been concern in the mining industry about the viability of the project, operations of which have been suspended for seven months, as regulators barred its reopening pending compliance with a tough set of remedial measures.
The Lafayette incident is seen as a test case of the Arroyo administration’s commitment to mining investments, as well as enforcement of environmental safeguards.
“Of course, we still are (viable),” Pacis said on the sidelines of the public forum on the Rapu-Rapu case, adding: “Otherwise we would not be here.”
Pacis said the company had essentially completed compliance with 21 conditions imposed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for the reopening of the mine, which suffered a spill at its mill site on Oct. 11, 2005 and on its tailings dam on Oct. 31, 2005. Mine opponents alleged the spills killed fish.
“We feel that our company has complied with all 21 conditions,” Pacis told the forum.
The Australian parent firm puts Rapu-Rapu’s proven ore reserve at 5.85 million tons of 2.5 grams per ton of gold, 28.1 grams per ton of silver, 1.2 percent copper and 2.1 percent zinc.
Dissenter
The lone dissenter to the report of the RRFC wants the government to allow the test run of the P1.4-billion polymetallic project to settle once and for all the issues surrounding the Lafayette mining operations.
“I wish to stress that, for lack of any specific data or clear factual basis, I am not prepared to condemn Lafayette or the project. In the same manner, I am also not prepared to completely exonerate it for the incidents,” RRFC member Greg Tabuena said in his dissenting report.
Tabuena, a former forester, has served as consultant to several firms and has participated in environmental impact assessment studies.
In his report, copies of which were distributed among members of the media at the DENR dialogue with commission members and Lafayette representatives, Tabuena voiced his misgivings about the conduct of the fact-finding study.
He said the Bastes Commission “appeared to be prosecutorial” while conducting the investigation.
“The foregoing discussion only shows that further data gathering, which should be reliable and unbiased, should be conducted by credible organizations who are proven experts in the area,” Tabuena said.
“It would not be amiss for me to recommend further that Lafayette’s request for a test run for its operations, under strict scrutiny and observation by the proper authorities and private experts, be granted by the DENR.”
Not fair enough
Tabuena said the function of the commission was to determine facts based on accurate and scientific data in an objective and impartial manner.
The commission was tasked to investigate the effects of the mining operation on people’s health and environmental safety in the municipality of Rapu-Rapu in Albay, and the towns of Prieto Diaz, Gubat, Barcelona, Bulusan and Bacon in Sorsogon.
“I, therefore, cannot affix my signature and stake my name and professional reputation in the said report. I cannot, with a clear conscience, conclude that the commission has been fair to all interested parties and that the report was indeed an impartial and objective one,” Tabuena said.
Tabuena said no connection had been established between the Rapu-Rapu mining spills and the fishkill in Sorsogon.
Monday, May 22, 2006
Bishop miffed by Palace stand re Lafayette
Arroyo’s stand favoring mining miffs bishop
‘What’s use of study if she doesn’t follow it?’
By Christian V. Esguerra
Philippine Daily Inquirer May 22, 2006
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=0&index=1&story_id=76557
THE HEAD OF THE fact-finding body that investigated Australian mining operations on Rapu-Rapu Island yesterday said he would write a “strongly worded” letter to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo if she ignores the panel’s recommendation to stop mining on the island.
Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes chaired a nine-member commission that looked into the Rapu-Rapu mining operations in Albay province following two incidents of tailings spills that residents had blamed for fish kills in their area.
“If she will not follow our recommendations, I will write a letter, a strongly worded letter … What is the use of having a study if she does not follow it?” the Roman Catholic prelate said in an interview over the Church-run Radio Veritas.
The Bastes commission had called on the government to cancel the environmental compliance certificate issued to Lafayette, stop mining operations in Rapu-Rapu and review the Mining Act, especially its provisions on ownership and management of mining companies and operations.
Lafayette said the commission’s report was “unscientific and flawed.”
In a statement, the company said the commission “disregarded several independently conducted scientific studies saying that there was no mercury contamination of the coastal areas of Sorsogon (province). But the report insisted that the fish scare was true and was caused by Lafayette.”
Bishop Bastes made his statements when asked on Veritas for his reaction to Malacañang’s “rejection” of his panel’s recommendations.
Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye had said that banning mining was not the answer to the problem and that it would be “a disservice to our people if our full mineral potential is not realized as this is clearly a source of employment and development.”
Bastes clarified that the commission was not against mining “per se” but only against the conduct of Lafayette’s operations in Rapu-Rapu.
“There is a possibility that in other places in the Philippines, the situation is different so mining should go ahead,” Bastes said. “But in this particular case (Rapu-Rapu), definitely we want them to stop.”
A central concern raised by the commission was the purported presence of acid mine drainage (AMD) in the mining area, which Bastes said “brings heavy toxic metals to the sea and to all the water areas.”
In the report, the commission expressed concern over whether Lafayette was able to control AMD or was, in fact, “aggravating AMD and all its harsh effects.”
The commission noted that “subaquaeous deposition,” the means adopted by the company to prevent the presence of AMD, was not used in hilly terrains like Rapu-Rapu. Citing a number of scientific studies, it said the system was effective only in flat terrain.
“Lafayette designed strategies without yet thoroughly understanding the nature and potentials of AMD in its mine site, in particular, and in the Rapu-Rapu environment, in general,” the commission said.
“This is a serious problem that must not be taken lightly,” Bastes said.
Mining companies elated
The prelate also disputed claims that mining would greatly spur the economy.
He said local residents, like those of Rapu-Rapu, received no share from the benefits of mining in their areas unlike people in other countries.
“How can we say that with this kind of practice, mining is the savior of the economy and the country?” the bishop said.
In a statement, the Chamber of Mines lauded the government for “continuously supporting the mining industry.”
“The decision allowing foreign investments in the industry would ensure the flow of $10 billion in investments into the economy with the planned expansion of existing projects and the operation of new ones,” chamber president Benjamin Philip Romualdez said in a statement.
Clear signal
Canadian firm Toronto Ventures Inc., one of the biggest foreign firms in the country which operates a gold project in Zamboanga del Norte province, said the government could now focus on the effective regulation and implementation of the mining law.
“The government’s position sends a clear and welcome signal to the international community that the Philippines is committed to attracting mineral explorers and developers who can bring in major investments but who also subscribe to the principles of sustainable development,” TVI said in a statement.
Romualdez said Philippine mining laws already included best-practice guidelines and standards to address the environment, health and safety concerns of communities that host mining projects.
“It is important that close monitoring of mining activities is in place and this is where other stakeholders can contribute,” Romualdez said.
Atlas Consolidated Mining and Development Corp., which has received fresh funding toward reviving its copper mines in Toledo, Cebu, said its experience had shown that mining projects could boost the economy in the form of jobs, taxes and community projects.
“We support Malacañang’s desire for responsible mining, which means sustainable development with care for the environment and the safety of our miners,” Atlas president Alfredo Ramos said.
Lafayette statement
In its statement sent to the Inquirer, Lafayette said the Bastes commission relied on “anti-mining theories and feel.”
“It boggles the mind how a hoax is given credence while the work of independent scientists is disregarded,” Lafayette said.
“Besides, how can we cause mercury contamination across the sea (the Rapu-Rapu project is in Albay) when we don’t use mercury and Rapu-Rapu itself has no mercury problem?”
Lafayette said the commission even admitted that although the basis of its findings “made by different groups may not be conclusive and need further studies to connect to observed immediate effects of the tailings incidents, the commission feels that there is a high probability of connection … (resulting in) health, environmental and economic problems to the people of Rapu-Rapu and nearby coastal municipalities of Albay and Sorsogon.”
The company said fact-finding bodies “should not go by feel and probability … because so much is at stake -- the interest of the 1,000 employees of the company and their families, the host communities, the allied businesses to be generated in the Bicol region and the whole country in terms of taxes and investor confidence.”
‘What’s use of study if she doesn’t follow it?’
By Christian V. Esguerra
Philippine Daily Inquirer May 22, 2006
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=0&index=1&story_id=76557
THE HEAD OF THE fact-finding body that investigated Australian mining operations on Rapu-Rapu Island yesterday said he would write a “strongly worded” letter to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo if she ignores the panel’s recommendation to stop mining on the island.
Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes chaired a nine-member commission that looked into the Rapu-Rapu mining operations in Albay province following two incidents of tailings spills that residents had blamed for fish kills in their area.
“If she will not follow our recommendations, I will write a letter, a strongly worded letter … What is the use of having a study if she does not follow it?” the Roman Catholic prelate said in an interview over the Church-run Radio Veritas.
The Bastes commission had called on the government to cancel the environmental compliance certificate issued to Lafayette, stop mining operations in Rapu-Rapu and review the Mining Act, especially its provisions on ownership and management of mining companies and operations.
Lafayette said the commission’s report was “unscientific and flawed.”
In a statement, the company said the commission “disregarded several independently conducted scientific studies saying that there was no mercury contamination of the coastal areas of Sorsogon (province). But the report insisted that the fish scare was true and was caused by Lafayette.”
Bishop Bastes made his statements when asked on Veritas for his reaction to Malacañang’s “rejection” of his panel’s recommendations.
Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye had said that banning mining was not the answer to the problem and that it would be “a disservice to our people if our full mineral potential is not realized as this is clearly a source of employment and development.”
Bastes clarified that the commission was not against mining “per se” but only against the conduct of Lafayette’s operations in Rapu-Rapu.
“There is a possibility that in other places in the Philippines, the situation is different so mining should go ahead,” Bastes said. “But in this particular case (Rapu-Rapu), definitely we want them to stop.”
A central concern raised by the commission was the purported presence of acid mine drainage (AMD) in the mining area, which Bastes said “brings heavy toxic metals to the sea and to all the water areas.”
In the report, the commission expressed concern over whether Lafayette was able to control AMD or was, in fact, “aggravating AMD and all its harsh effects.”
The commission noted that “subaquaeous deposition,” the means adopted by the company to prevent the presence of AMD, was not used in hilly terrains like Rapu-Rapu. Citing a number of scientific studies, it said the system was effective only in flat terrain.
“Lafayette designed strategies without yet thoroughly understanding the nature and potentials of AMD in its mine site, in particular, and in the Rapu-Rapu environment, in general,” the commission said.
“This is a serious problem that must not be taken lightly,” Bastes said.
Mining companies elated
The prelate also disputed claims that mining would greatly spur the economy.
He said local residents, like those of Rapu-Rapu, received no share from the benefits of mining in their areas unlike people in other countries.
“How can we say that with this kind of practice, mining is the savior of the economy and the country?” the bishop said.
In a statement, the Chamber of Mines lauded the government for “continuously supporting the mining industry.”
“The decision allowing foreign investments in the industry would ensure the flow of $10 billion in investments into the economy with the planned expansion of existing projects and the operation of new ones,” chamber president Benjamin Philip Romualdez said in a statement.
Clear signal
Canadian firm Toronto Ventures Inc., one of the biggest foreign firms in the country which operates a gold project in Zamboanga del Norte province, said the government could now focus on the effective regulation and implementation of the mining law.
“The government’s position sends a clear and welcome signal to the international community that the Philippines is committed to attracting mineral explorers and developers who can bring in major investments but who also subscribe to the principles of sustainable development,” TVI said in a statement.
Romualdez said Philippine mining laws already included best-practice guidelines and standards to address the environment, health and safety concerns of communities that host mining projects.
“It is important that close monitoring of mining activities is in place and this is where other stakeholders can contribute,” Romualdez said.
Atlas Consolidated Mining and Development Corp., which has received fresh funding toward reviving its copper mines in Toledo, Cebu, said its experience had shown that mining projects could boost the economy in the form of jobs, taxes and community projects.
“We support Malacañang’s desire for responsible mining, which means sustainable development with care for the environment and the safety of our miners,” Atlas president Alfredo Ramos said.
Lafayette statement
In its statement sent to the Inquirer, Lafayette said the Bastes commission relied on “anti-mining theories and feel.”
“It boggles the mind how a hoax is given credence while the work of independent scientists is disregarded,” Lafayette said.
“Besides, how can we cause mercury contamination across the sea (the Rapu-Rapu project is in Albay) when we don’t use mercury and Rapu-Rapu itself has no mercury problem?”
Lafayette said the commission even admitted that although the basis of its findings “made by different groups may not be conclusive and need further studies to connect to observed immediate effects of the tailings incidents, the commission feels that there is a high probability of connection … (resulting in) health, environmental and economic problems to the people of Rapu-Rapu and nearby coastal municipalities of Albay and Sorsogon.”
The company said fact-finding bodies “should not go by feel and probability … because so much is at stake -- the interest of the 1,000 employees of the company and their families, the host communities, the allied businesses to be generated in the Bicol region and the whole country in terms of taxes and investor confidence.”
Sunday, May 21, 2006
No mining ban, Foreign firms stay
Palace: No to mining ban
Foreign firms stay; industry still gov’t priority
By Gil C. Cabacungan Jr.
Philippine Daily Inquirer May 21, 2006
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=0&index=1&story_id=76462
SAYING a ban was not the answer, Malacañang yesterday stood firm on its policy allowing big foreign companies to operate mines despite recommendations to stop Australian mining activities on Rapu-Rapu island and review the country’s liberalized mining law.
“Our country is blessed as one of the most highly mineralized countries in the world. It would be a disservice to our people if our full mineral potential is not realized as this is clearly a source of employment and development,’’ Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said in a statement.
“A ban on mining is not the answer but the standards and safeguards already in place and existing laws must be strictly enforced. Mining remains a priority for development,’’ Bunye stressed.
Bunye issued the statement after the Malacañang-created Rapu-Rapu Fact-finding Commission submitted to President Macapagal-Arroyo on Friday a report recommending the scrapping of the environmental compliance certificate issued to the Australian Lafayette Group and calling for a moratorium on mining on the 5,000-ha island of Rapu-Rapu in Albay.
It also called for a review of the Mining Act, especially its provisions on foreign ownership and management of mining companies and operations.
The commission launched an inquiry following mine tailings spills on Rapu-Rapu.
Presidential adviser on political affairs Gabriel Claudio said in a radio interview that the commission might have overstepped its bounds when it recommended wholesale changes in the law.
“This is not a matter of whether the mining law should be amended or repealed. We will be guided by inputs from the members of Congress about this,” Claudio said. “I don’t think we should be hasty to have any conclusion on what legislative moves should be done.’’
Palace cancels presscon
The Mining Act had stirred controversy because it allowed for the first time foreign companies to have a stake in mineral exploration and production in the country.
The commission’s chair, Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes, was to have held a press conference in Malacañang on Friday on his group’s recommendation but this was canceled at the last minute because Palace officials did not agree with its sweeping indictment of foreign mining investments in the country.
Bastes, instead, held his press conference outside the Palace.
Bunye said Ms Arroyo thanked the commission for its work and that she assured the public that its recommendations would be “carefully reviewed and considered.”
Environmental groups have welcomed the fact-finding commission’s recommendations.
“We hope President Arroyo will listen to the clamor of the people of Albay and Sorsogon to… keep the mines in Rapu Rapu closed as the negative environmental, social and economic impacts on the communities far outweigh the alleged benefits,” Greenpeace toxics campaigner Beau Baconguis said.
Flagship project
She said it was clear from the start that the P1.4-billion Rapu-Rapu polymetallic project, once dubbed the flagship of the administration’s program to revive the mining industry, threatened marine life in nearby bodies of water.
She said the government should form a team of experts to ensure that Lafayette Philippines Inc. cleaned up and rehabilitated the mine site and the surrounding marine areas.
“Moving forward will be meaningless without exacting full accountability from Lafayette and erring government officials,” Banconguis said.
Loss of 1,000 jobs
Defend Patrimony, a network of anti-mining groups, said the government should not cave in to Lafayette’s warning that the closure of its project would result in the loss of $259 million in investments and about 1,000 jobs.
“The commission validates the concerns of the people that the LPI operation will do more harm than good to the environment… and people,” Defend Patrimony spokesperson Trixie Concepcion said.
She said the commission’s report validated the position of fisherfolk, church people, environmental groups, local government officials, local businessmen and scientists against mining operations.
No test run
“The only way to save and rehabilitate the environment and the people of Rapu-Rapu is to permanently close Lafayette and to enact a moratorium on mining in the island,” Concepcion said.
Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes has rejected Lafayette’s request for a test run of its gold processing plant, saying he would wait for the recommendation of the commission.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources suspended the gold processing operation of Lafayette last year and fined the company P10.7 million for its alleged violation of the Clean Water Act.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, in a pastoral letter last January, called for the repeal of the Mining Act, saying that it “destroys life.” The bishops expressed concern over what they said was the threat posed by large-scale mining operations to the people’s livelihood and health and to the environment.
Huge nickel reserves
“Our experiences of environmental tragedies and incidents with the mining transnational corporations belie all assurances of sustainable and responsible mining that the Arroyo administration is claiming,” the bishops said.
Besides having gold, silver, copper and other minerals, the Philippines is believed to have 25 percent of the world’s known nickel reserves, according to industry experts.
Estimates as of 2004 put at $1 trillion the worth of the country’s mineral resources.
P57 billion revenues if …
Local mining industry officials have said that the revitalization of the industry, which had been in decline for the past 20 years, could yield about P57 billion in additional revenues for the government.“The Philippines can be one of the richest countries in the region if only it can get its act together and harness its mining potential,” Leo Gamolo, general manager of mining firm Crew Group Philippines, wrote in the Inquirer last February.
Foreign firms stay; industry still gov’t priority
By Gil C. Cabacungan Jr.
Philippine Daily Inquirer May 21, 2006
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=0&index=1&story_id=76462
SAYING a ban was not the answer, Malacañang yesterday stood firm on its policy allowing big foreign companies to operate mines despite recommendations to stop Australian mining activities on Rapu-Rapu island and review the country’s liberalized mining law.
“Our country is blessed as one of the most highly mineralized countries in the world. It would be a disservice to our people if our full mineral potential is not realized as this is clearly a source of employment and development,’’ Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said in a statement.
“A ban on mining is not the answer but the standards and safeguards already in place and existing laws must be strictly enforced. Mining remains a priority for development,’’ Bunye stressed.
Bunye issued the statement after the Malacañang-created Rapu-Rapu Fact-finding Commission submitted to President Macapagal-Arroyo on Friday a report recommending the scrapping of the environmental compliance certificate issued to the Australian Lafayette Group and calling for a moratorium on mining on the 5,000-ha island of Rapu-Rapu in Albay.
It also called for a review of the Mining Act, especially its provisions on foreign ownership and management of mining companies and operations.
The commission launched an inquiry following mine tailings spills on Rapu-Rapu.
Presidential adviser on political affairs Gabriel Claudio said in a radio interview that the commission might have overstepped its bounds when it recommended wholesale changes in the law.
“This is not a matter of whether the mining law should be amended or repealed. We will be guided by inputs from the members of Congress about this,” Claudio said. “I don’t think we should be hasty to have any conclusion on what legislative moves should be done.’’
Palace cancels presscon
The Mining Act had stirred controversy because it allowed for the first time foreign companies to have a stake in mineral exploration and production in the country.
The commission’s chair, Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes, was to have held a press conference in Malacañang on Friday on his group’s recommendation but this was canceled at the last minute because Palace officials did not agree with its sweeping indictment of foreign mining investments in the country.
Bastes, instead, held his press conference outside the Palace.
Bunye said Ms Arroyo thanked the commission for its work and that she assured the public that its recommendations would be “carefully reviewed and considered.”
Environmental groups have welcomed the fact-finding commission’s recommendations.
“We hope President Arroyo will listen to the clamor of the people of Albay and Sorsogon to… keep the mines in Rapu Rapu closed as the negative environmental, social and economic impacts on the communities far outweigh the alleged benefits,” Greenpeace toxics campaigner Beau Baconguis said.
Flagship project
She said it was clear from the start that the P1.4-billion Rapu-Rapu polymetallic project, once dubbed the flagship of the administration’s program to revive the mining industry, threatened marine life in nearby bodies of water.
She said the government should form a team of experts to ensure that Lafayette Philippines Inc. cleaned up and rehabilitated the mine site and the surrounding marine areas.
“Moving forward will be meaningless without exacting full accountability from Lafayette and erring government officials,” Banconguis said.
Loss of 1,000 jobs
Defend Patrimony, a network of anti-mining groups, said the government should not cave in to Lafayette’s warning that the closure of its project would result in the loss of $259 million in investments and about 1,000 jobs.
“The commission validates the concerns of the people that the LPI operation will do more harm than good to the environment… and people,” Defend Patrimony spokesperson Trixie Concepcion said.
She said the commission’s report validated the position of fisherfolk, church people, environmental groups, local government officials, local businessmen and scientists against mining operations.
No test run
“The only way to save and rehabilitate the environment and the people of Rapu-Rapu is to permanently close Lafayette and to enact a moratorium on mining in the island,” Concepcion said.
Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes has rejected Lafayette’s request for a test run of its gold processing plant, saying he would wait for the recommendation of the commission.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources suspended the gold processing operation of Lafayette last year and fined the company P10.7 million for its alleged violation of the Clean Water Act.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, in a pastoral letter last January, called for the repeal of the Mining Act, saying that it “destroys life.” The bishops expressed concern over what they said was the threat posed by large-scale mining operations to the people’s livelihood and health and to the environment.
Huge nickel reserves
“Our experiences of environmental tragedies and incidents with the mining transnational corporations belie all assurances of sustainable and responsible mining that the Arroyo administration is claiming,” the bishops said.
Besides having gold, silver, copper and other minerals, the Philippines is believed to have 25 percent of the world’s known nickel reserves, according to industry experts.
Estimates as of 2004 put at $1 trillion the worth of the country’s mineral resources.
P57 billion revenues if …
Local mining industry officials have said that the revitalization of the industry, which had been in decline for the past 20 years, could yield about P57 billion in additional revenues for the government.“The Philippines can be one of the richest countries in the region if only it can get its act together and harness its mining potential,” Leo Gamolo, general manager of mining firm Crew Group Philippines, wrote in the Inquirer last February.
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Probe urges revocation Lafayette permit
Mining probe body urges Lafayette license revoked
By Christian V. Esguerra, Christine Gaylican
Philippine Daily Inquirer May 20, 2006
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=0&index=1&story_id=76408
SAYING it wanted to send a strong message to investors that the Philippines was “not a nation of prostitutes,” a Malacañang-formed commission yesterday urged the government to review a mining law that allows foreigners 100 percent ownership of local mines, and to stop the operations of Australia’s Lafayette Mining Ltd. on Rapu-Rapu island, Albay.
The Rapu-Rapu fact-finding commission headed by Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes called on the government to cancel the environmental compliance certificate issued to two companies of the Lafayette Group, and for a moratorium on mining on the island.
It also asked the government to “review the Philippine mining act, specifically the provision on the ownership and management of mining firms and operations,” Reuters news agency said, quoting from what it said was an advance copy of the report.
Over-reaction
Lafayette company president and chief executive officer Carlos Dominguez said the panel’s recommendation was an “over-reaction” to the environment incidents on Rapu-Rapu.
“With respect to their findings, it is in my belief that it has been exceedingly harsh and unforgiving considering that the incidents have been minor,” Dominguez told the Inquirer.
Dominguez asked what would happen to the 1,000 employees of the mines and to the economic benefits for the local community on the island if the Department of Environment and Natural Resources followed the commission’s recommendation.
“We hope the DENR would also consider the opinion of the Sangguniang Barangay, the municipal and provincial governments there,” he added.
Dissenting view
Commission vice chair Charles Avila said in a press conference: “This country is not a nation of prostitutes—that’s the message that we want to get to investors.”
“The mining industry is very promising if we do it properly by not sacrificing the environment and the people’s health.”
One of the nine members of the commission refused to sign the 169-page final report, saying he disagreed with some of its conclusions.
“I am unable to affix my signature to the final report of the commission as I disagree with a number of its findings and recommendations,” commissioner Gregorio Tabuena wrote Bastes. “I also feel that the commission has gone beyond its mandate.”
Mining output
In its report, the commission asked the Bureau of Internal Revenue to investigate the Lafayette Group “for underreporting of ore/processed ore production and violations of tax laws.”
It asked the government to order the company to “pay back all back taxes equivalent to those waived because of incentives/privileges for the whole duration of their mining operations.”
The commission found supposed discrepancies between the amount of gold ore the Rapu-Rapu Minerals Inc. (RRMI) reported to the DENR’s Mines and Geosciences Bureau Region 5 (67,693 metric tons) and the amount the company reported to the commission (136,180 metric tons).
Lafayette’s side
“The excise tax paid by the RRMI is probably only half of what it ought to pay the national government,” the commission said.
The commission also noted an alleged forgery of a town council’s signature in a resolution endorsing Rapu-Rapu as an ecozone.
Answering the commission’s claim about discrepancies in the firm’s gold ore reports, RRMI’s legal counsel Bayani Agabin said what the company reported to the MGB was “consistent” with what it reported to the commission.
On the alleged tax deficiencies, Agabin said the “wrong formula” must have been used in computing the amount of gold ore that had been mined.
Present proof
Agabin said the firm was aware of allegations about forgery in the ecozone certification resolution “but that is an allegation that has yet to be proven.”
“You cannot simply cancel a permit based on a simple allegation. That is why we have the courts,” Agabin said. “Somebody accuses someone of rape. That is just an accusation. You still have to go to court to prove it.”
He said the company had admitted there had been lapses in operations “but these were minor and all the remedial measures had been completed.”
DENR scored
Mining operations on Rapu-Rapu drew headlines following two tailings spills in October last year which reportedly led to fishkills and affected the fishing industry.
“The discharged tailings and effluents do not only carry cyanide but other toxic heavy metals as shown in subsequent studies made,” the commission said.
The commission scored the DENR for allowing the company to resume operations six days after the first incident.
“Lafayette had no emergency mechanism to stop or mitigate this kind of incident,” it said.
The commission said: “It was also negligent of the MGB officials who were coincidentally in the area on the day of the tailings incident and who conducted an on-the-spot investigation when they failed to impose immediate remediation measures on the mining company.”
Reyes will have last say
Dominguez said Lafayette would immediately meet with the Pollution Abjudication Board and show proof that the company should be allowed a test run.
“The burden of deciding whether we should be allowed to run will solely rest on (Environment) Secretary (Angelo) Reyes,” he said.
He said that the company had paid dearly enough when it was fined more than P10 million and that more than P400 million had been spent to put up necessary remedial measures in the area to prevent any environmental disasters in the future.
The mine is the first in the Philippines to be developed by a foreign company in almost four decades and has so far yielded 2,500 ounces of gold.
The Chamber of Mines of the Philippines said it believed that the government would be fair and consider the best scenario for the Rapu-Rapu Polymetallic Mines of Lafayette.
Respect findings but ...
“We respect their findings but it is just one opinion. We have presented a separate independent study that the DENR and Malacañang should also consider in making their final verdict for the Rapu-Rapu project,” Chamber of Mines president Benjamin Philip G. Romualdez said.He noted that the Bastes report did not tackle any issue on ownership and the industry had remained steadfast in its stand that any review that would strengthen the Philippine Mining Law was a welcome development for the industry.
By Christian V. Esguerra, Christine Gaylican
Philippine Daily Inquirer May 20, 2006
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=0&index=1&story_id=76408
SAYING it wanted to send a strong message to investors that the Philippines was “not a nation of prostitutes,” a Malacañang-formed commission yesterday urged the government to review a mining law that allows foreigners 100 percent ownership of local mines, and to stop the operations of Australia’s Lafayette Mining Ltd. on Rapu-Rapu island, Albay.
The Rapu-Rapu fact-finding commission headed by Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes called on the government to cancel the environmental compliance certificate issued to two companies of the Lafayette Group, and for a moratorium on mining on the island.
It also asked the government to “review the Philippine mining act, specifically the provision on the ownership and management of mining firms and operations,” Reuters news agency said, quoting from what it said was an advance copy of the report.
Over-reaction
Lafayette company president and chief executive officer Carlos Dominguez said the panel’s recommendation was an “over-reaction” to the environment incidents on Rapu-Rapu.
“With respect to their findings, it is in my belief that it has been exceedingly harsh and unforgiving considering that the incidents have been minor,” Dominguez told the Inquirer.
Dominguez asked what would happen to the 1,000 employees of the mines and to the economic benefits for the local community on the island if the Department of Environment and Natural Resources followed the commission’s recommendation.
“We hope the DENR would also consider the opinion of the Sangguniang Barangay, the municipal and provincial governments there,” he added.
Dissenting view
Commission vice chair Charles Avila said in a press conference: “This country is not a nation of prostitutes—that’s the message that we want to get to investors.”
“The mining industry is very promising if we do it properly by not sacrificing the environment and the people’s health.”
One of the nine members of the commission refused to sign the 169-page final report, saying he disagreed with some of its conclusions.
“I am unable to affix my signature to the final report of the commission as I disagree with a number of its findings and recommendations,” commissioner Gregorio Tabuena wrote Bastes. “I also feel that the commission has gone beyond its mandate.”
Mining output
In its report, the commission asked the Bureau of Internal Revenue to investigate the Lafayette Group “for underreporting of ore/processed ore production and violations of tax laws.”
It asked the government to order the company to “pay back all back taxes equivalent to those waived because of incentives/privileges for the whole duration of their mining operations.”
The commission found supposed discrepancies between the amount of gold ore the Rapu-Rapu Minerals Inc. (RRMI) reported to the DENR’s Mines and Geosciences Bureau Region 5 (67,693 metric tons) and the amount the company reported to the commission (136,180 metric tons).
Lafayette’s side
“The excise tax paid by the RRMI is probably only half of what it ought to pay the national government,” the commission said.
The commission also noted an alleged forgery of a town council’s signature in a resolution endorsing Rapu-Rapu as an ecozone.
Answering the commission’s claim about discrepancies in the firm’s gold ore reports, RRMI’s legal counsel Bayani Agabin said what the company reported to the MGB was “consistent” with what it reported to the commission.
On the alleged tax deficiencies, Agabin said the “wrong formula” must have been used in computing the amount of gold ore that had been mined.
Present proof
Agabin said the firm was aware of allegations about forgery in the ecozone certification resolution “but that is an allegation that has yet to be proven.”
“You cannot simply cancel a permit based on a simple allegation. That is why we have the courts,” Agabin said. “Somebody accuses someone of rape. That is just an accusation. You still have to go to court to prove it.”
He said the company had admitted there had been lapses in operations “but these were minor and all the remedial measures had been completed.”
DENR scored
Mining operations on Rapu-Rapu drew headlines following two tailings spills in October last year which reportedly led to fishkills and affected the fishing industry.
“The discharged tailings and effluents do not only carry cyanide but other toxic heavy metals as shown in subsequent studies made,” the commission said.
The commission scored the DENR for allowing the company to resume operations six days after the first incident.
“Lafayette had no emergency mechanism to stop or mitigate this kind of incident,” it said.
The commission said: “It was also negligent of the MGB officials who were coincidentally in the area on the day of the tailings incident and who conducted an on-the-spot investigation when they failed to impose immediate remediation measures on the mining company.”
Reyes will have last say
Dominguez said Lafayette would immediately meet with the Pollution Abjudication Board and show proof that the company should be allowed a test run.
“The burden of deciding whether we should be allowed to run will solely rest on (Environment) Secretary (Angelo) Reyes,” he said.
He said that the company had paid dearly enough when it was fined more than P10 million and that more than P400 million had been spent to put up necessary remedial measures in the area to prevent any environmental disasters in the future.
The mine is the first in the Philippines to be developed by a foreign company in almost four decades and has so far yielded 2,500 ounces of gold.
The Chamber of Mines of the Philippines said it believed that the government would be fair and consider the best scenario for the Rapu-Rapu Polymetallic Mines of Lafayette.
Respect findings but ...
“We respect their findings but it is just one opinion. We have presented a separate independent study that the DENR and Malacañang should also consider in making their final verdict for the Rapu-Rapu project,” Chamber of Mines president Benjamin Philip G. Romualdez said.He noted that the Bastes report did not tackle any issue on ownership and the industry had remained steadfast in its stand that any review that would strengthen the Philippine Mining Law was a welcome development for the industry.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Mining museum for Baguio centennial
Mining museum to rise for Baguio centennial
By Vincent Cabreza
Philippine Daily Inquirer May 09, 2006
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=0&index=1&story_id=75183
BAGUIO CITY--Philippine Ambassador to Germany Delia Albert is linking Baguio’s centennial celebration in 2009 to the mining industry by constructing a museum that would call attention to the country’s oldest mines that surround the city.
Citing the writings of the late diplomat and educator Salvador P. Lopez, Baguio-born Albert said American-led mining operations helped nurture what was once the “vast wilderness” of Benguet province into a “bustling metropolis.”
She announced the formation of the Baguio Historical and Mining Museum Foundation to alumni of the Baguio City National High School during their homecoming on Saturday at the Baguio Country Club.
The museum will rise here in two years, in time for Baguio’s celebration as a chartered city, Albert said. “I just received [the clearance from] the Securities and Exchange Commission last week.”
The museum will house relics showing the growth of old American mines on the city outskirts and focusing on the history of firms like Benguet Corp., the oldest recorded Philippine mining firm, as well as obscure and defunct operations like Demonstration Mine, which ceased when Japanese forces invaded the city in 1942.
Diplomatic frontier
A former Philippine foreign secretary and Malacañang’s envoy for mining, Albert noted that diplomacy had become mining’s new frontier because of the need to disclose to the global industry the Supreme Court decision that declared constitutional the 1995 Philippine Mining Act.
Mining has remained the single biggest industry which the government expects would turn the tide for many poverty-stricken regions like the Cordillera, she said.
Albert said it took her seven years as ambassador to Australia to win a trade deal allowing Canberra to buy Philippine mangoes.
There will be cynics, Albert acknowledged, saying that much of the anti-mining sentiments plaguing the industry today came from the old mining towns in Benguet.
Baguio seal
The city’s original seal bears out its connection to mining, she said. “The first Baguio seal is crossed diagonally by four golden dots that stand for the mineral wealth of Baguio’s four major mining communities.”
“Who in Baguio [does] not remember Antamok (where the oldest Philippine mining firm Benguet Corp. used to operate in Itogon town) or Lepanto (Consolidated Mining Corp. which operates in Mankayan town)?” she said.
She asked the BCNHS alumni to provide data and resources to “flesh out Baguio’s connection to the gold that has drawn Europeans to the city since the 1890s.”
Mining flourished under the American colonial government in the 1920s which designed and chartered Baguio as its only hill station in Asia, Albert said.
Ibaloi accounts
Even historical accounts from the indigenous Ibaloi community confirm mining’s role in expanding Baguio.
Eufronio Pungayao, a linguist and an Ibaloi historian, said the city’s economy started with Chinese trading houses that supplied food to American miners and their workers.
“In fact, the [city] population grew due to the attraction of mining,” said Joseph Jude Carantes, an Ibaloi clan leader and advocate for ancestral land rights.
Albert said national officials, like Senator Juan Flavier, were products of Baguio’s old mining culture. Flavier grew up in Itogon.
But some Baguio residents want “the whole truth about mining” to come out in Albert’s museum.
Centennial activities
Loreto Ann Tamayo, an environmentalist, said the facility should provide details on how old-school mining ended up despoiling Benguet lands.
Albert’s initiative is one of many independent projects geared toward highlighting Baguio’s 100 years of existence.
Mayor Braulio Yaranon has formed a core group of old-timers who will prepare for the centennial celebration.
Many of them, like Joseph Alabanza, former presidential adviser on urban reform, and Virginia de Guia, a former Baguio mayor, have been pushing for the restoration and preservation of the city’s remaining open lands as part of the centennial advocacy.
Alabanza, also a city architect, has been at the forefront of an architectural preservation program here, while De Guia is spearheading a crusade to stop the construction of a flyover in the city.
By Vincent Cabreza
Philippine Daily Inquirer May 09, 2006
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=0&index=1&story_id=75183
BAGUIO CITY--Philippine Ambassador to Germany Delia Albert is linking Baguio’s centennial celebration in 2009 to the mining industry by constructing a museum that would call attention to the country’s oldest mines that surround the city.
Citing the writings of the late diplomat and educator Salvador P. Lopez, Baguio-born Albert said American-led mining operations helped nurture what was once the “vast wilderness” of Benguet province into a “bustling metropolis.”
She announced the formation of the Baguio Historical and Mining Museum Foundation to alumni of the Baguio City National High School during their homecoming on Saturday at the Baguio Country Club.
The museum will rise here in two years, in time for Baguio’s celebration as a chartered city, Albert said. “I just received [the clearance from] the Securities and Exchange Commission last week.”
The museum will house relics showing the growth of old American mines on the city outskirts and focusing on the history of firms like Benguet Corp., the oldest recorded Philippine mining firm, as well as obscure and defunct operations like Demonstration Mine, which ceased when Japanese forces invaded the city in 1942.
Diplomatic frontier
A former Philippine foreign secretary and Malacañang’s envoy for mining, Albert noted that diplomacy had become mining’s new frontier because of the need to disclose to the global industry the Supreme Court decision that declared constitutional the 1995 Philippine Mining Act.
Mining has remained the single biggest industry which the government expects would turn the tide for many poverty-stricken regions like the Cordillera, she said.
Albert said it took her seven years as ambassador to Australia to win a trade deal allowing Canberra to buy Philippine mangoes.
There will be cynics, Albert acknowledged, saying that much of the anti-mining sentiments plaguing the industry today came from the old mining towns in Benguet.
Baguio seal
The city’s original seal bears out its connection to mining, she said. “The first Baguio seal is crossed diagonally by four golden dots that stand for the mineral wealth of Baguio’s four major mining communities.”
“Who in Baguio [does] not remember Antamok (where the oldest Philippine mining firm Benguet Corp. used to operate in Itogon town) or Lepanto (Consolidated Mining Corp. which operates in Mankayan town)?” she said.
She asked the BCNHS alumni to provide data and resources to “flesh out Baguio’s connection to the gold that has drawn Europeans to the city since the 1890s.”
Mining flourished under the American colonial government in the 1920s which designed and chartered Baguio as its only hill station in Asia, Albert said.
Ibaloi accounts
Even historical accounts from the indigenous Ibaloi community confirm mining’s role in expanding Baguio.
Eufronio Pungayao, a linguist and an Ibaloi historian, said the city’s economy started with Chinese trading houses that supplied food to American miners and their workers.
“In fact, the [city] population grew due to the attraction of mining,” said Joseph Jude Carantes, an Ibaloi clan leader and advocate for ancestral land rights.
Albert said national officials, like Senator Juan Flavier, were products of Baguio’s old mining culture. Flavier grew up in Itogon.
But some Baguio residents want “the whole truth about mining” to come out in Albert’s museum.
Centennial activities
Loreto Ann Tamayo, an environmentalist, said the facility should provide details on how old-school mining ended up despoiling Benguet lands.
Albert’s initiative is one of many independent projects geared toward highlighting Baguio’s 100 years of existence.
Mayor Braulio Yaranon has formed a core group of old-timers who will prepare for the centennial celebration.
Many of them, like Joseph Alabanza, former presidential adviser on urban reform, and Virginia de Guia, a former Baguio mayor, have been pushing for the restoration and preservation of the city’s remaining open lands as part of the centennial advocacy.
Alabanza, also a city architect, has been at the forefront of an architectural preservation program here, while De Guia is spearheading a crusade to stop the construction of a flyover in the city.
Friday, April 21, 2006
Zambo Norte Subanens sue TVI
Zambo Norte Subanens sue Canadian mining firm
By Cheng Ordonez
The Sun Star April 21, 2006
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/zam/2006/04/21/news/
zambo.norte.subanens.sue.canadian.mining.firm.html
ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Enraged with alleged continuing harassments, threats to lives and destruction of properties, a group of Subanens filed a suit against Toronto Ventures Incorporated (TVI), a Canadian-owned mining firm operating in Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte.
Gigi B. Bedro, of the Legal Rights & Natural Resource Center-Kasama sa Kalikasan/Friends of the Earth-Philippines, said Timuay Lino L. Tii led the Subanen petitioners in filing a case Thursday for the immediate cancellation of TVI's mineral production sharing agreement.
The suit was filed before the panel of arbitrators of the Mines & Geo-Sciences Bureau in Zamboanga City, according to Bedro. Tii's group claimed that TVI violated several national laws, several provisions of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, and this is sufficient ground for government to revoke the corporation's mining permit. The complainant Subanens also claimed that, at least, three national laws were violated by TVI's mining operations in the area. These include the Philippine Mining Act, Indigenous People's Rights Act, and Local Government Code of the Philippines of 1991, said Bedro. "The decision to file a case was made after the government failed to address their interest of protecting their land from development aggression caused by TVI's mining operations," Bedro said. Tii said they sought the help of local government units, environment department, Office of the President, and National Commission on Indigenous Peoples over their predicament but without result. He added that they are asking that TVI be not allowed to operate in the area because it is part of their sacred mountain that was occupied by their ancestors since time immemorial. The Subanens in Siocon were awarded a Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on June 12, 2003. "This makes them the second indigenous peoples' community in the country whose rights are fully recognized," according to Bedro. But tribal chieftain Timuay Jose "Boy" Anoy said the certificate was not enough to protect them from the "destructive mining operations of TVI," added Bedro.
Others groups backing the Subanens are stakeholders in the area like Moro and Visayan farmers, fishers, women, church workers, and the youth. TVI, according to Tii's group of Subanens, has also continuously spread terror among residents in the area with the heavy presence of the military and paramilitary forces. The Subanens hope that their grief allegedly caused by "TVI's unending destruction of their sacred mountains" would finally come to an end. "TVI's mining operation has to be stopped. TVI and other large-scale mining firms have no place in the Philippines especially in ancestral domains of indigenous peoples," said Anoy.
Reacting to the suit, TVI expressed disappointment that Apu Manglang Pusaka and Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center again resorted to forum hunting in their denigration campaign against the mining firm. "The issues they raised are a mere rehash of their unfounded allegations that have been ventilated in various fora, including Congress. We categorically deny their accusations," it said.
The firm said TVI's mineral agreement with the national government was issued ahead of the certificate given to Subanon in Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte. But even if the company enjoyed prior rights over the ancestral domain claim and title, TVI entered into an agreement with the Siocon Subano Association Inc. for the development of Canatuan "as a gesture of good faith and affirmative action."
By Cheng Ordonez
The Sun Star April 21, 2006
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/zam/2006/04/21/news/
zambo.norte.subanens.sue.canadian.mining.firm.html
ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Enraged with alleged continuing harassments, threats to lives and destruction of properties, a group of Subanens filed a suit against Toronto Ventures Incorporated (TVI), a Canadian-owned mining firm operating in Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte.
Gigi B. Bedro, of the Legal Rights & Natural Resource Center-Kasama sa Kalikasan/Friends of the Earth-Philippines, said Timuay Lino L. Tii led the Subanen petitioners in filing a case Thursday for the immediate cancellation of TVI's mineral production sharing agreement.
The suit was filed before the panel of arbitrators of the Mines & Geo-Sciences Bureau in Zamboanga City, according to Bedro. Tii's group claimed that TVI violated several national laws, several provisions of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, and this is sufficient ground for government to revoke the corporation's mining permit. The complainant Subanens also claimed that, at least, three national laws were violated by TVI's mining operations in the area. These include the Philippine Mining Act, Indigenous People's Rights Act, and Local Government Code of the Philippines of 1991, said Bedro. "The decision to file a case was made after the government failed to address their interest of protecting their land from development aggression caused by TVI's mining operations," Bedro said. Tii said they sought the help of local government units, environment department, Office of the President, and National Commission on Indigenous Peoples over their predicament but without result. He added that they are asking that TVI be not allowed to operate in the area because it is part of their sacred mountain that was occupied by their ancestors since time immemorial. The Subanens in Siocon were awarded a Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on June 12, 2003. "This makes them the second indigenous peoples' community in the country whose rights are fully recognized," according to Bedro. But tribal chieftain Timuay Jose "Boy" Anoy said the certificate was not enough to protect them from the "destructive mining operations of TVI," added Bedro.
Others groups backing the Subanens are stakeholders in the area like Moro and Visayan farmers, fishers, women, church workers, and the youth. TVI, according to Tii's group of Subanens, has also continuously spread terror among residents in the area with the heavy presence of the military and paramilitary forces. The Subanens hope that their grief allegedly caused by "TVI's unending destruction of their sacred mountains" would finally come to an end. "TVI's mining operation has to be stopped. TVI and other large-scale mining firms have no place in the Philippines especially in ancestral domains of indigenous peoples," said Anoy.
Reacting to the suit, TVI expressed disappointment that Apu Manglang Pusaka and Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center again resorted to forum hunting in their denigration campaign against the mining firm. "The issues they raised are a mere rehash of their unfounded allegations that have been ventilated in various fora, including Congress. We categorically deny their accusations," it said.
The firm said TVI's mineral agreement with the national government was issued ahead of the certificate given to Subanon in Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte. But even if the company enjoyed prior rights over the ancestral domain claim and title, TVI entered into an agreement with the Siocon Subano Association Inc. for the development of Canatuan "as a gesture of good faith and affirmative action."
RP open to mining investments
DENR chief: RP still open to investors in mining
By Blanche S. Rivera
Philippine Daily Inquirer April 21, 2006
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=0&index=1&story_id=73248
THE GOVERNMENT has assured foreign investors that the Philippine mining industry would remain open to foreign firms despite the Congressional review of the Mining Act of 1995 and strong opposition by the influential Catholic Church.Environment Secretary Angelo T. Reyes said Congress would no longer debate over the ownership issue because the Supreme Court has already ruled that it was constitutional for foreign firms to operate mining projects in the country.Speaking before the Australia-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce, Reyes said his “understanding” from House Speaker Jose de Venecia was that the review of the Mining Law would focus on the strengthening of the environmental provisions and ensuring the safety of existing and proposed projects.“I assure you that the ongoing review will not result in any revocation or ownership changes because the Supreme Court has already ruled on this issue and has allowed foreign-controlled corporations to participate in the exploration, development and utilization of our minerals resources,” Reyes said during the chamber’s monthly meeting on April 18.
Unduly alarmed
The DENR chief said he was aware that the pastoral statement of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) urging the repeal of the Mining Act and the revocation of existing mining licenses had “unduly alarmed” the investors. Reyes said that while the bishops enjoyed “some influence over the people” in this predominantly Catholic country, they had no legal mandate.“
Instead of repealing the Mining Act, the government agreed to a Congressional review of the law because we are confident that we have the best mining law,” Reyes said, citing international recognition for the environmental protection mechanisms in the Mining Act of 1995.He said the renewed clamor of the bishops and some non-government organizations for the revocation of all mining permits was triggered by the Rapu-Rapu tailings spills in October last year.
The incidents had a major impact on the efforts of government to prove the case for responsible mining after the infamous mine spills at the Marcopper site in Marinduque province in the 1990s.“Our credibility in enforcing the Mining Act and all its environmental safeguards was seriously put in question,” Reyes said.
The DENR had fined Lafayette Philippines Inc. a total of P10.7 million for violation of the Clean Water Act. Reyes expressed confidence that the lines of communication with anti-mining groups and the Catholic Church were still open, based on his recent dialogue with the bishops. “If mining companies and their local stakeholders can prove to the bishops that what the anti-mining groups are telling them are wrong, then there might still be a chance that we can soften their stand,” Reyes said.
Responsible mining practices
“This issue will not be solved by a series of debates on the pros and cons of developing our mineral resources. The government and the private sector must jointly prove their position with concrete examples of responsible mining practices,” he added.Reyes also denied reports that the government has imposed a moratorium on mining applications as a compromise to the bishops.
Former Environment Secretary and now Presidential Chief of Staff Michael Defensor had announced in February that the government was imposing a moratorium on mining, but he later clarified that this was limited to mining applications in the Bicol region.“There is no moratorium on mining. My department continues to process and approve mining applications in accordance with existing laws and streamlined procedures,” Reyes stressed.There are 1,400 applications for Mineral Production Sharing Agreement, 400 exploration permits and 59 Financial or Technical Assistance Agreements pending before the DENR’s Mines and Geosciences Bureau.
The Arroyo government has been aggressively promoting the Philippines’ mining potential abroad, selling 24 priority mine sites that are expected to gain $8 billion in investments. Of the 24 priority mining projects, six have Australian or New Zealand interests. The six are expected to generate $926.4 million in foreign direct investments, $1.3 billion in revenues and 10,000 jobs. “The government will continue to create the most conducive environment for businesses to thrive but we need your help to prove that we can make responsible mining work for the benefit of our people,” he said.
By Blanche S. Rivera
Philippine Daily Inquirer April 21, 2006
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=0&index=1&story_id=73248
THE GOVERNMENT has assured foreign investors that the Philippine mining industry would remain open to foreign firms despite the Congressional review of the Mining Act of 1995 and strong opposition by the influential Catholic Church.Environment Secretary Angelo T. Reyes said Congress would no longer debate over the ownership issue because the Supreme Court has already ruled that it was constitutional for foreign firms to operate mining projects in the country.Speaking before the Australia-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce, Reyes said his “understanding” from House Speaker Jose de Venecia was that the review of the Mining Law would focus on the strengthening of the environmental provisions and ensuring the safety of existing and proposed projects.“I assure you that the ongoing review will not result in any revocation or ownership changes because the Supreme Court has already ruled on this issue and has allowed foreign-controlled corporations to participate in the exploration, development and utilization of our minerals resources,” Reyes said during the chamber’s monthly meeting on April 18.
Unduly alarmed
The DENR chief said he was aware that the pastoral statement of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) urging the repeal of the Mining Act and the revocation of existing mining licenses had “unduly alarmed” the investors. Reyes said that while the bishops enjoyed “some influence over the people” in this predominantly Catholic country, they had no legal mandate.“
Instead of repealing the Mining Act, the government agreed to a Congressional review of the law because we are confident that we have the best mining law,” Reyes said, citing international recognition for the environmental protection mechanisms in the Mining Act of 1995.He said the renewed clamor of the bishops and some non-government organizations for the revocation of all mining permits was triggered by the Rapu-Rapu tailings spills in October last year.
The incidents had a major impact on the efforts of government to prove the case for responsible mining after the infamous mine spills at the Marcopper site in Marinduque province in the 1990s.“Our credibility in enforcing the Mining Act and all its environmental safeguards was seriously put in question,” Reyes said.
The DENR had fined Lafayette Philippines Inc. a total of P10.7 million for violation of the Clean Water Act. Reyes expressed confidence that the lines of communication with anti-mining groups and the Catholic Church were still open, based on his recent dialogue with the bishops. “If mining companies and their local stakeholders can prove to the bishops that what the anti-mining groups are telling them are wrong, then there might still be a chance that we can soften their stand,” Reyes said.
Responsible mining practices
“This issue will not be solved by a series of debates on the pros and cons of developing our mineral resources. The government and the private sector must jointly prove their position with concrete examples of responsible mining practices,” he added.Reyes also denied reports that the government has imposed a moratorium on mining applications as a compromise to the bishops.
Former Environment Secretary and now Presidential Chief of Staff Michael Defensor had announced in February that the government was imposing a moratorium on mining, but he later clarified that this was limited to mining applications in the Bicol region.“There is no moratorium on mining. My department continues to process and approve mining applications in accordance with existing laws and streamlined procedures,” Reyes stressed.There are 1,400 applications for Mineral Production Sharing Agreement, 400 exploration permits and 59 Financial or Technical Assistance Agreements pending before the DENR’s Mines and Geosciences Bureau.
The Arroyo government has been aggressively promoting the Philippines’ mining potential abroad, selling 24 priority mine sites that are expected to gain $8 billion in investments. Of the 24 priority mining projects, six have Australian or New Zealand interests. The six are expected to generate $926.4 million in foreign direct investments, $1.3 billion in revenues and 10,000 jobs. “The government will continue to create the most conducive environment for businesses to thrive but we need your help to prove that we can make responsible mining work for the benefit of our people,” he said.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
The World Bank and water - Brettonwoods Project
The World Bank and water
Brettonwoods Project
http://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/art.shtml?x=531818
As water is ubiquitous to development, so it is within the World Bank. Two network vice-presidencies have responsibilities over water (Infrastructure and Environment and Socially Sustainable Development (ESSD)). The infrastructure vice presidency houses the Energy and Water department, a Bank-wide department headed by Jamal Saghir.
In March 2000, the World Bank established the Water Resources Management Group (WRMG) to attempt to integrate water sub-sectors such as hydropower, water supply and sanitation, irrigation and drainage, and environment. The members of the WRMG are the lead individuals from these sub-sectors, lead water resource specialists from each region, water leaders from the World Bank Institute, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Global Environment Facility secretariat, and a representative from the legal department. The WRMG is chaired by David Grey, senior water advisor at the Bank. The staff in the secretariat of the WRMG report to the infrastructure and ESSD vice-presidencies, and are hosted by the Agriculture and Rural Development department in ESSD.
The central unit dealing with Water Supply and Sanitation (WSS) is a sub-sector of the Energy and Water department, whose work includes water supply, sanitation, and sewerage. The advisors and task managers in the sector are grouped under the WSS sector board, chaired by Jamal Saghir. Total WBG lending for WSS in the period 1990 to 2002 was $19.3 billion. After a decline in the late 90s, WSS lending has been rapidly increasing over recent years, reaching $1.8 billion in FY05, and set to grow further. The Bank is the largest external financier in this sector. Bank regional units, supported by the Energy and Water department, are responsible for developing and supervising individual projects. The Bank is also heavily involved in advisory work and policy dialogue, and supporting private sector involvement through the IFC and MIGA.
The Bank's work on water is guided by a thematic strategy (operational policy 4.07). This is operationalised through the Water Resources Sector Strategy (WRSS), the most recent version of which was approved by the Bank board in February 2003. The most controversial elements of the WRSS are its stated desire to re-engage with "high-reward/high-risk hydraulic infrastructure" (or big dams), its emphasis on the role of the private sector and its failure to embrace the recommendations of the World Commission on Dams. Other strategies, including the Infrastructure Action Plan (July 2003), the Private Sector Development Strategy (2002), and the Urban and Local Government Strategy (2000) also provide the framework for Bank advice and lending in water resources and water services. The strategies are premised on the need to facilitate private sector provision of basic infrastructure through a spectrum of public-private partnerships.
However, the Infrastructure Action Plan introduced a more pragmatic approach and a shift to supporting reforming public services and local/domestic private enterprises. This was further worked out for the WSS sector in the Operational Guidance for World Bank Group Staff Public and Private Sector Roles in Water Supply and Sanitation Services (2004). It was also presented in 2005 at the World Bank's water week. It follows from internal criticism in the Bank, from both the Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) and the Quality Assurance Group over the 'irrational exuberance' with which the private sector was pursued especially in water supply activities. The worldwide protests against privatisation were felt to have paralysed the sector and dried up investments into it, creating difficulties for Bank lending. At the recently concluded World Water Forum in Mexico, the same message was communicated by the infrastructure vice-president, Katherine Sierra.
Following up the WRSS at the country level are new Country Water Resources Assistance Strategies (CWRASs). CWRASs are meant to link water activities to Bank national lending strategies (Country Assistance Strategies, or CASs) and national development plans. They describe priority lending and non-lending activities in water resource management in a country, and in a break from the technocratic focus of the past, are to focus on the "political economy of change in water resources management". Only a few countries in each region - such as Brazil, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Ethiopia and Iraq - have been selected for CWRAS development, with priority given to countries "where water problems are serious and where there is a demand for Bank engagement".
Region
Countries selected for CWRAS development
Latin America
Brazil, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Peru and the Caribbean
South Asia
Bangladesh, India, Pakistan
East Asia and Pacific
Cambodia, China, Philippines, Mekong
Africa
Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania
Middle East and North Africa
Iran, Iraq, Yemen
Europe and Central Asia
Azerbaijan
Other World Bank activities in water include managing sectoral trust funds, participating in a myriad of regional and international partnerships, and providing training. The WRMG, WSS and the World Bank Institute (WBI) cooperate to develop water resources management and water services learning and training programmes - seminars at national, regional and international level involving central and local government officials, water utility managers, private sector providers, the media and civil society.
Updated 11 April 2006
Brettonwoods Project
http://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/art.shtml?x=531818
As water is ubiquitous to development, so it is within the World Bank. Two network vice-presidencies have responsibilities over water (Infrastructure and Environment and Socially Sustainable Development (ESSD)). The infrastructure vice presidency houses the Energy and Water department, a Bank-wide department headed by Jamal Saghir.
- In the period 1990 - 2005, IBRD lending for water totalled $16.7bn (7 per cent of total lending) while IDA loans totalled $7.7bn (7 per cent of total lending).
- In FY05, water, sanitation and flood protection accounted for 10 per cent of combined IBRD-IDA lending, or approximately $2.2 billion in lending, almost a $600m increase on FY04.
In March 2000, the World Bank established the Water Resources Management Group (WRMG) to attempt to integrate water sub-sectors such as hydropower, water supply and sanitation, irrigation and drainage, and environment. The members of the WRMG are the lead individuals from these sub-sectors, lead water resource specialists from each region, water leaders from the World Bank Institute, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Global Environment Facility secretariat, and a representative from the legal department. The WRMG is chaired by David Grey, senior water advisor at the Bank. The staff in the secretariat of the WRMG report to the infrastructure and ESSD vice-presidencies, and are hosted by the Agriculture and Rural Development department in ESSD.
The central unit dealing with Water Supply and Sanitation (WSS) is a sub-sector of the Energy and Water department, whose work includes water supply, sanitation, and sewerage. The advisors and task managers in the sector are grouped under the WSS sector board, chaired by Jamal Saghir. Total WBG lending for WSS in the period 1990 to 2002 was $19.3 billion. After a decline in the late 90s, WSS lending has been rapidly increasing over recent years, reaching $1.8 billion in FY05, and set to grow further. The Bank is the largest external financier in this sector. Bank regional units, supported by the Energy and Water department, are responsible for developing and supervising individual projects. The Bank is also heavily involved in advisory work and policy dialogue, and supporting private sector involvement through the IFC and MIGA.
The Bank's work on water is guided by a thematic strategy (operational policy 4.07). This is operationalised through the Water Resources Sector Strategy (WRSS), the most recent version of which was approved by the Bank board in February 2003. The most controversial elements of the WRSS are its stated desire to re-engage with "high-reward/high-risk hydraulic infrastructure" (or big dams), its emphasis on the role of the private sector and its failure to embrace the recommendations of the World Commission on Dams. Other strategies, including the Infrastructure Action Plan (July 2003), the Private Sector Development Strategy (2002), and the Urban and Local Government Strategy (2000) also provide the framework for Bank advice and lending in water resources and water services. The strategies are premised on the need to facilitate private sector provision of basic infrastructure through a spectrum of public-private partnerships.
However, the Infrastructure Action Plan introduced a more pragmatic approach and a shift to supporting reforming public services and local/domestic private enterprises. This was further worked out for the WSS sector in the Operational Guidance for World Bank Group Staff Public and Private Sector Roles in Water Supply and Sanitation Services (2004). It was also presented in 2005 at the World Bank's water week. It follows from internal criticism in the Bank, from both the Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) and the Quality Assurance Group over the 'irrational exuberance' with which the private sector was pursued especially in water supply activities. The worldwide protests against privatisation were felt to have paralysed the sector and dried up investments into it, creating difficulties for Bank lending. At the recently concluded World Water Forum in Mexico, the same message was communicated by the infrastructure vice-president, Katherine Sierra.
Following up the WRSS at the country level are new Country Water Resources Assistance Strategies (CWRASs). CWRASs are meant to link water activities to Bank national lending strategies (Country Assistance Strategies, or CASs) and national development plans. They describe priority lending and non-lending activities in water resource management in a country, and in a break from the technocratic focus of the past, are to focus on the "political economy of change in water resources management". Only a few countries in each region - such as Brazil, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Ethiopia and Iraq - have been selected for CWRAS development, with priority given to countries "where water problems are serious and where there is a demand for Bank engagement".
Region
Countries selected for CWRAS development
Latin America
Brazil, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Peru and the Caribbean
South Asia
Bangladesh, India, Pakistan
East Asia and Pacific
Cambodia, China, Philippines, Mekong
Africa
Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania
Middle East and North Africa
Iran, Iraq, Yemen
Europe and Central Asia
Azerbaijan
Other World Bank activities in water include managing sectoral trust funds, participating in a myriad of regional and international partnerships, and providing training. The WRMG, WSS and the World Bank Institute (WBI) cooperate to develop water resources management and water services learning and training programmes - seminars at national, regional and international level involving central and local government officials, water utility managers, private sector providers, the media and civil society.
Updated 11 April 2006
Pro Mining Villagers air support for mining project
Villagers enraged by burning of firm’s office, air support for its mining project
Manila Bulletin Tue Apr 11, 2006
http://www.mb.com.ph/issues/2006/04/11/PROV2006041161161.html
DINKIDI HILL, Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya — Initially enraged by the burning of the field office of the Australasian Philippines Mining Inc. (Apmi) at the foot of the Dinkidi Hill in the mineral-rich Barangay Didipio by unidentified persons, villagers here rallied instead to air their support for the first large-scale mining project that straddles between Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino.
They believe that the burning was instigated by a group that wants to sow confusion and misunderstanding between the pro-mine and anti-mine factions in the community in the wake of the drive against rampant, small-scale mining at the slopes of the Dinkidi Hill, host to APMI’s gold-copper project. Most of the illegal miners come from the Cordilleras.
"The culprits also want to make it appear that most of the people in Didipio hate the project. But this senseless act of arson at the APMI offices here cannot intimidate us from supporting the project. It is our only hope for a better life," said Didipio Barangay Councilman Henry Guay.
The so-called silent majority of residents in the Didipio mining impact zone, also clarified that when the Didipio Earthsavers Multipurpose Association (Desama) recently filed a petition for mandamus against the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and (APMI) to force the agency to cancel the environmental compliance certificate (ECC) issued to the Australian mining firm, it was not the will of the entire Didipio but only that of Desama.
"The press statement circulated by a Church-based social action group is deceiving because the article makes it appear that most of the residents of Didipio are up against APMI’s gold-copper project, when, in fact, more than 80 percent of the tribal folk are in favor of the large-scale mining operation and we can prove this," said Evangelist Pastor Efren Dulawan, a Didipio resident.
"While we respect the right of Desama, with a handful of its members, to express opposition to the mining project, we can not allow it to misrepresent the whole Didipio community. On the contrary, a bigger part of its population are supportive of the project," said another resident, Simplicia Annanayo.
"Desama can not represent the whole Didipio. It is just a small fraction of the dwellers who were tempted to oppose the project," said Dulawan.
Dulawan said further that Desama is just one of the six NGOs using Didipio in their organizational tags. The others are the Didipio Farmers Irrigators Association, Dididpio Multi-purpose Cooperative, Bacbacan Affected Residents, Didipio Women’s Movement for Community Development, and the Sangguniang Kabataan of Didipio, all of which support the project.
Manila Bulletin Tue Apr 11, 2006
http://www.mb.com.ph/issues/2006/04/11/PROV2006041161161.html
DINKIDI HILL, Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya — Initially enraged by the burning of the field office of the Australasian Philippines Mining Inc. (Apmi) at the foot of the Dinkidi Hill in the mineral-rich Barangay Didipio by unidentified persons, villagers here rallied instead to air their support for the first large-scale mining project that straddles between Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino.
They believe that the burning was instigated by a group that wants to sow confusion and misunderstanding between the pro-mine and anti-mine factions in the community in the wake of the drive against rampant, small-scale mining at the slopes of the Dinkidi Hill, host to APMI’s gold-copper project. Most of the illegal miners come from the Cordilleras.
"The culprits also want to make it appear that most of the people in Didipio hate the project. But this senseless act of arson at the APMI offices here cannot intimidate us from supporting the project. It is our only hope for a better life," said Didipio Barangay Councilman Henry Guay.
The so-called silent majority of residents in the Didipio mining impact zone, also clarified that when the Didipio Earthsavers Multipurpose Association (Desama) recently filed a petition for mandamus against the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and (APMI) to force the agency to cancel the environmental compliance certificate (ECC) issued to the Australian mining firm, it was not the will of the entire Didipio but only that of Desama.
"The press statement circulated by a Church-based social action group is deceiving because the article makes it appear that most of the residents of Didipio are up against APMI’s gold-copper project, when, in fact, more than 80 percent of the tribal folk are in favor of the large-scale mining operation and we can prove this," said Evangelist Pastor Efren Dulawan, a Didipio resident.
"While we respect the right of Desama, with a handful of its members, to express opposition to the mining project, we can not allow it to misrepresent the whole Didipio community. On the contrary, a bigger part of its population are supportive of the project," said another resident, Simplicia Annanayo.
"Desama can not represent the whole Didipio. It is just a small fraction of the dwellers who were tempted to oppose the project," said Dulawan.
Dulawan said further that Desama is just one of the six NGOs using Didipio in their organizational tags. The others are the Didipio Farmers Irrigators Association, Dididpio Multi-purpose Cooperative, Bacbacan Affected Residents, Didipio Women’s Movement for Community Development, and the Sangguniang Kabataan of Didipio, all of which support the project.
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