BAGUIO CITY- Against the backdrop of black sand (magnetite) mining on the coastal areas of Northern Luzon to the gold and copper mines in the mountains of the Cordilleras, “AMIANAN SALAKNIBAN!” (DEFEND THE NORTH!!) was the rallying cry of the more than 500 delegates to the first Northern Luzon Mining and Human Rights Summit held at the Quirino Hall in Teachers’ Camp, Baguio City on December 12 to15, 2011.
With the theme: “Defend and preserve our national patrimony against big foreign business plunders! Assert our rights to life, land, culture, food security and development!”,representatives from the provinces of the Cordillera , Ilocos Region and Cagayan Valley came together to share their experiences on destructive large scale mining projects, its effects to the environment , their livelihood, their culture and the related human rights violations in connection to such projects.
The three day event intended to come up with a unified peoples’ declaration against large scale mining and call to a halt to such activities. It also aimed at empowering the participants through inputs and workshops to explore the various means in advancing the peoples’ militant struggle against destructive and exploitative projects.-
Welcoming the delegates were Bishop Mariano Inong of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines-North Luzon Jurisdiction (UCCP-NLJ) and the Regional Development Center – Katinnulong Dagiti Umili iti Amianan-Northern Luzon (RDC-KADUAMI-NL).
In his welcome address, Bishop Inong said the event is well-timed as the Cordillera, Ilocos Region and Cagayan Valley are littered with mining applications by multi-national companies. He added that the current situation of the country is lamentable where only a few elite families enjoy the rich natural resources of the country while the majority wallows in abject poverty. He also added that as members of the church, they support the peoples’ clamor to put a stop to large scale mining and are one in protecting the environment and upholding human rights.
Congressman Teddy Casiño of the Bayan Muna Party List delivered the keynote speech. He said that government policies like the Philippine Mining Act of 1995 or Republic Act 7942 that allows foreign and local big business total control over the country’s limited mineral resources should be altogether scrapped. And as an alternative, the congressman said that Bayan Muna filed the People’s Mining Bill or House Bill 4315 which will be in complete contradiction to the current mining act. He also added that the said bill is already with the House Committee on Natural Resources of the 15th congress.
A presentation by Rose Bella Guzman of Ibon Foundation on the current global and local mining trends was next. She said that based on available data and Ibon’s research, the mining industry does not contribute much to the Philippines’ economy setting straight the claims by mining advocates that mining plays a major role in the country’s economic development. Ibon Foundation is an independent research, education, and advocacy organization based in Manila.
The current situation of mining, human rights and disaster impacts in Northern Luzon was presented by Roxanne B. Veridiano of the Kaduami-NL.
Afterwards, the delegates shared their experiences from the impact of mining in their communities.
Summarizing the testimonies of the participants was Jill Cariño of the Cordillera Peoples’ Alliance (CPA) and Philippine Task Force for Indigenous Peoples Rights (TFIP). She pointed out the various actions the people have taken in their struggle against large scale mining and their efforts of protecting the environment and their communities.
On the second day, various speakers discussed the different environmental defense, legal tactics and alternatives that the delegates can resort to in advancing their struggle against large scale mining.
Attorney Cheryl Daytec- Yangot of the Cordillera Indigenous Peoples’ Legal Center (DINTEG) expounded on the Writ of Kalikasan as a legal remedy in abating environmental slaughter.
Beverly Longid, Chairperson of the KATRIBU Indigenous Party List, discussed the main features of the Peoples’ Mining Bill or House Bill 4315.
Representative Teddy Baguilat Jr. of Ifugao province and chairman of the House Committee on National Cultural Communities enlightened the delegates about the requirements of the Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC).
Experiences in Small Scale Mining and insights on the “Clean Gold” Advocacy were shared by Fernando Mangili of the Alyansa Dagiti Pesante iti Taeng Kordilyera (APIT-TAKO).
Operation Plan (OPLAN) Bayanihan and its origins were discussed by Jude Baggo, Secretary General of the Cordillera Human Rights Alliance (CHRA). OPLAN Bayanihan is the current military strategy of the Aquino administration to which various human rights violations is attributed said Baggo.
Anti-mining advocacy plans were drawn from workshops attended by the delegates. The results of these workshops were then synthesized and unified upon into the North Luzon Action Plan.
Other highlights of the second day included the presentation and approval of the North Luzon Mining and Human Rights Declaration and the formation of the “Amianan Salakniban” environmental defenders’ network.
Capping the three day summit, delegates held a picket at the offices of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Cordillera Administrative Region (MGB-DENR-CAR). And in celebration of International Human Rights Day, a march-rally along the major thoroughfares of Baguio City followed.