Mining in the Philippines - Concerns and Conflicts

Tampakan, Saggitarius Mines Inc
A major copper and gold project is in preparation at Tampakan. This project was initiated by
Australian miner WMC. However it sold on its rights to the current developers. The FFT met with the
Bishop of the Diocese of Marbel, South Cotabato, Bishop Dinualdo Gutierrez. He expressed his
outrage at the proposed copper and gold mining operation in Tampakan, Mindanao by Saggitarius
Mines Inc, Australia, which he claims will threaten the food security of Mindanao. The Bishop
explained that the proposed mining site is in a watershed area that supplies water to 5 rivers in 4
provinces. South Cotabato is known as the food basket of Mindanao and Bishop Gutierrez believes
that it is inevitable that the planned mining operation would lead to the pollution of the nearby
downstream Lake Buluan and upstream Liguasan Marsh, damaging farmlands and fisheries and
seriously impacting the food source for the Muslim and indigenous populations while destroying
their livelihoods. This eventuality, he concluded, would most certainly lead to major social unrest.
The bishop’s sentiments reflect those of the local Sangguniang Bayan (municipal council) of Buluan in
Maguindanao which recently passed a resolution opposing the operations of Sagittarius Mines, Inc. in
the mountains of Tampakan in South Cotabato, expressing ‘fears that it would destroy the livelihood
of thousands of residents dependent on Lake Buluan’ 25 .
Gold mining in Rapu-Rapu is already under way. It was halted in 2005 in response to tailings spills,
but the mine has since reopened. In Sibuyan Island, a company has drilled for nickel using small-scale
mining permits, and is now seeking to expand its operations.
Rapu-Rapu, Sibuyan Island and Victoria are located in geo-hazard areas. In Rapu-Rapu, negligence
and the failure of environmental protection measures were linked to fish kills, documented by an
independent, government sanctioned fact-finding commission. 26 The commission felt that there was
‘high probability of connection or that the incidents [which caused damage to marine life]
subsequently led to or caused certain negative consequences to health, environmental and economic
problems to the people of Rapu-Rapu and nearby coastal municipalities’ 27 . It also noted the failure to
adhere to international environmental best practices regarding testing and monitoring.
Tampakan, Victoria and Sibuyan Island are areas of high biodiversity where mining would threaten
endemic species. They are also watershed areas. In Sibuyan the proposed future mining areas
encroach on a national park. In Victoria submarine tailings disposal has been proposed, and mining
would take place on a site the indigenous people hold sacred.
People from all four sites reported that large-scale mining had created divisions among local and
indigenous communities. They also reported lack of participation and transparency in the
preparation, validation and availability of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs). Those from
Rapu-Rapu and Sibuyan Island told the team that the companies had failed to recognize that their
operations could have an impact on indigenous peoples and had failed to consult them. In Sibuyan
Island the company simply ignored the objections of local communities and the local government. It
was the same in Victoria where, in addition to ignoring the objections of local and provincial
government, residents said, the company had misrepresented their views and made false claims that
they had consented to mining. People from all four sites felt that the media had privileged the
company position over those of local communities.
The team was alarmed by the repeated and extensive complaints concerning processes and abuse of
requirements and processes. The major themes that emerged are addressed in the following section
and reflect the team’s discussions with a wide range of concerned groups in the Philippines.
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