Pro-environment activist groups condemned what they described as the “twisted notion” of the Philippine government toward large-scale mining operations in the country.
Jaybee Garganera, convener of Green Thumb Coalition, noted the government’s position that mining operations will help the country recover from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.
Garganera said “no amount of money or revenue can replace” the destruction that mining operations will cause to the environment and communities.
Earlier, lawyer Wilfredo Moncano, director of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, said the mining sector is looking into projects that will generate employment and revenue to the government.
He assured that the “tradeoff” of mining operations will certainly help the country’s economic recovery from the pandemic.
Moncano, however, admitted that mining operations have adverse effects, but guarantees that there are programs aimed at “mitigating and reducing” its impacts on the environment.
He expressed hopes that the public will “gain an understanding as to how the mining sector truly operates.”
The mining industry in the country contributes an average of 0.80 percent to the total gross domestic product (GDP) while 0.50 percent in terms of employment.
Garganera called on the government to “carefully review and analyze” its own data that indicate that “mining has no significant contribution to the country’s GDP.”
“We have been repeating this every time. This is not new. It is already a cliche to say that there is no indication that Filipino communities will benefit from large-scale mining,” he said.
Garganera warned against the “danger of this twisted notion towards mining operations,” which he said the government is trying to instill in the mind of the public.
He said the mining industry has a low contribution to the country’s economy despite the fact that the Philippines’ mineral resources have an estimated value of about US$1.4 trillion.
From 2016 to 2019, the total gross production value in mining is about US$12.9 billion.
Franciscan priest Angel Cortez of the Ecological Justice Interfaith Movement said authorities must “only speak about the truth about what really mining does to the country.”
“They are fully aware of the dangers and the irreversible damage of destructive extraction to the environment but they keep on propagating misleading impressions,” he said.
Father Cortez urged the public to examine the government’s stance on “the so-called development projects” and “speak up against programs that put our future in peril.”
The priest invited government officials and proponents of mining operations to “join the Christian community” in the celebration of the Season of Creation this month.
“It is not too late for a conversion. There is always a second chance. This Season of Creation might give them enlightenment,” said Father Cortez.
Last year, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau spent nearly US$200,000 to launch a massive information campaign to promote “sustainable and responsible” mining.
