Philippines’S mineral exports in the past 5 years reached a whopping P1.1 trillion despite President Duterte’s promise to close down large-scale mining projects, anti-mining group Kalikasan-People’s Network for the Environment (Kalikasan-PNE) reported on Thursday.
“Duterte’s mining legacy is that for every P10 worth of minerals that were extracted and exported over the past five years, only P1.40 worth of taxes, royalties, and fees trickled back down to our economy. We protest Duterte’s mining push for 100 new mining projects through his Executive Order 130 when the industry only contributed a measly average of 0.6-percent GDP and 0.5-percent employment contribution,” Leon Dulce, national coordinator of Kalikasan-PNE said in a news statement.
These concerns were raised by Kalikasan-PNE to highlight a nationally coordinated action protesting President Duterte’s Executive Order 130 which paved the way for the lifting of mining moratorium put in place by his predecessor, Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III when he signed Executive Order 79 almost a decade ago.
As a sign of protest against the resurgence of mining activities, communities, churches and activists from Cordillera to Davao unfurled banners in freedom parks, churches, and right outside Malacañang Complex at Mendiola.
Dulce noted how promoting mining for economic recovery pales in comparison to agriculture, which contributed at least 8 percent to the GDP and 23 percent to employment in 2020.
“That’s a trillion pesos that could have been invested in our agriculture, which also serves as an economic base for building heavy industries. That’s a trillion pesos stolen from our people’s sovereign wealth, and from the future generations to come,” Dulce alleged.
Worse, Dulce added, EO 130 “will usher in an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.”
“Last year’s slew of typhoons from Rolly to Ulysses resulted in P41 billion in damages. Scientists noted that mining and quarrying infesting watersheds in Cagayan Valley, Marikina-Rizal, and Bicol worsened the disaster impact. Alongside this, mining operations caused Covid-19 super spreader events affecting at least 362 mine workers across mining projects from the Cordilleras to Compostela Valley,” Dulce said.
He cited the Didipio copper-gold mine of Australian-Canadian mine firm Oceanagold, which was recently renewed by President Duterte for another 25 years despite facing protests by communities and local governments.
Dulce added “43 percent of environmental defenders killed since 2001 are anti-mining activists, who have been ardent until the end in standing firm against the destructive practices done by mining companies.”
“This does not even include those who continue to get harassed for standing with the community versus mining,” Dulce added.
“With the lifting of the mining moratorium now, we expect President Duterte to flaunt this move as a so-called economic booster, especially with the SONA just a few days from now. But more than that, we also view Executive Order 130 as a ‘license to kill’ for anyone who stands in the way of mining companies.”