The recent Board of Investment (BoI) pronouncement considering a cosmetic change for mining by making it one of the “preferred activities” in the Investment Priorities Plan (IPP) to highlight the government’s interest in such ventures is but a clear statement of preference of the PNOY government for extractive, destructive and unsustainable activities.

What is the basis of such preference when in fact, even on the side of economic gains, the mining industry has nothing to show for? While mining and quarrying subsector has been posting growth for the last two years, it however accounted for just 2.1% of GDP and an even more marginal 0.55% of employment.

Who benefits and who suffer from the negative impacts of mining? Mineral-rich provinces where mining operations exist remain among the poorest. And mining presence even exacerbated community conflicts, displacements, human rights violations and extra-judicial killings.

Mining activities also caused and exacerbated pollution and depletion of natural resources which for generations have sustained the lives of the indigenous peoples and the rural poor.

More so, a growing number of local governments are determined to show their non-preference to mining given the impacts on the environment, and the peoples’ livelihoods.  The province of South Cotabato has banned open pit mining while the province of Romblon calls for a mining moratorium.

There is the snowballing movement to save the Province of Palawan from mining and the call to scrap the mining act of 1995 (RA7942) continue to reverberate.

BoI’s pronouncement exposes further the policy framework of Pnoy as far as mining is concerned, pagtutuwid ng daan para sa minahan (straightening the road for mining).

The Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center – Kasama sa Kalikasan/ Friends of the Earth Philippines (LRC-KsK/FOE Phils) again calls Pnoy to rethink its minerals policy framework.

Pnoy must ensure conservation of non-renewable mineral resources for the benefit of both present and future generations of Filipinos by adopting sustainable, rational, needs based minerals management geared towards effective utilization of mineral resources for national industrialization and modernization of agriculture.

Pnoy must also ensure food security and save the dwindling agriculture sector which has been suffering from the onslaught of erratic weather patterns coupled with government neglect.

These should be the preferred activities of PNOY, if he is sincere to serve the interest of the Filipino people.

Erwin B. Quinones
Communications and Networking Officer
Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center
Kasama sa Kalikasan
Friends of the Earth Philippines
(LRC/KsK-FoE Phils)