Consumer, labor, and community groups urged the Philippine government to require mine rehabilitation, worker transition, and accountability to affected communities before awarding any new coal contract for the Semirara mine.
The Power for People Coalition, or P4P, said Sept. 18 that the Department of Energy should require a comprehensive rehabilitation and transition plan as DMCI’s Coal Operating Contract approaches expiration next year.
“Rehabilitation cannot simply mean restoring ecological damages by decades of mining. It must also include the people and communities that have been affected by the mining operation,” said Gerry Arances, convenor of P4P.
The coalition said measures should also be put in place for workers who could lose their jobs as coal mining operations wind down.
“Around 400 workers have been displaced since the winding down of coal mining operations,” said Luke Espiritu, president of the Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino.
“It is unjust for workers to be exploited and put in harm’s way through mining, only for them to be sidelined and discarded once operations dwindle. The government must make sure that the workers are not simply abandoned when the mine closes,” he said.
The Sabang-Poocan Farmer Fisherfolk Association also called for an investigation into whether the company had fulfilled its financial and other obligations to the government, including those linked to mine rehabilitation.
“The DOE should be asking whether the company has fulfilled every obligation to the government and especially to the communities affected by its operations,” said Charo Dela Cruz, president of the association.
“Before any discussion of another coal mining operation, there must first be full accountability for the impacts and obligations accumulated over the lifetime of the mine,” she said.
P4P also opposed regulatory changes aimed at prolonging coal mining.
“The focus of the Department of Energy should not be on rewriting the rules to keep coal mining alive. It should be on bringing coal mining in the Philippines to an end and ensuring that no new coal mines are opened,” Arances said.
