> Lafayette
Mining
The monthly meeting of the Regional Agricultural & Fishery Council
(RAFC) held on February 28, 2006 was devoted on the discussion of
“Lafayette Philippines’ Response to the Environmental Issues and
Concerns Affecting Agriculture and Fishery in Bicol region.”
For the past few months, the controversial Australian mining
company gained notoriety in the national media due to the cyanide
spills last October 2005 that resulted to fish kills and health
problems like allergy, skin rashes, vomiting and nausea among some
residents of Rapu-Rapu island where the mining is located. As a
result, the fish scare affected the livelihood of thousands of
small fisher folks in the coastal municipalities of Prieto Diaz,
Bacon, Gubat, & Barcelona, Sorsogon. Continuous mining also
contaminates the soil in the area with tailings of toxic heavy
metals like Arsenic, Cadium, Lead, and Copper which are leached
out by Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) and released into the creeks and
adjacent sea.
Due to the colossal negligence and incompetence of the supposed
“state of the art” mining plant, the Bureau of Mines of DENR
stopped the operation and imposed sanctions to Lafayette that
included a 10.4 million pesos fine!
Last January 17, 2006, a new management team headed by the
President & Chief Executive Officer Carlos G. Dominguez took over
the operation of Lafayette Philippines. Mr. Dominguez was the
former Secretary of Agriculture and a renown international
management consultant who also headed PASAR mining plant in Leyte.
With him is a topnotch Bicolano corporate lawyer Julito R.
Sarmiento as Director & Corporate Secretary, who represented the
Lafayette Philippines as resource speaker in the said RAFC regular
meeting.
In the full-packed and emotionally-charged Lanuza Hall, RAFC
members representing farmers and fisher folks associations,
Provincial & Municipal Government Agriculturists, NGOs, business,
academe, and national government agencies’ representatives took
turns asking questions and clarifications from the Lafayette
officials. Most of them raised their concerns and apprehensions
related to the assurance of environmental safety standards, and
even blamed the Bureau of Mines officials for its laxity and
inadequate monitoring of its compliance.
On the other hand, Atty Sarmiento tried to assuage his audience
and repeatedly invited them as partners of Lafayette Philippines
for responsible mining. He said this can be possible only with the
support of all stakeholders. He also said that the experience of
Lafayette in Bicol can be an opportunity to transform the crisis
into a model of responsible mining in the Philippines. Atty
Sarmiento mentioned that after a series of consultations and
review of the policies, operating procedures for the past six
weeks, they were able to identify five major mistakes committed by
Lafayette Philippines which they are resolved to address. These
concerns are:
1. Operational lapses committed by the Australian engineers that
resulted into the overflow of the siltation pond containing toxic
water that caused the spills.
2. Failure of the dam and its design to accommodate excessive
water brought by very heavy rainfall last year.
3. Failure of Lafayette to consult the various stakeholders in the
local communities concerning the mining operation. They also lack
proper coordination and communication with the concerned parties
(LGUs, church, media, NGOs, academe, etc) to facilitate a
harmonious and transparent working relationship.
4. There is no clear and tangible socio-economic benefits that
trickled down to the local communities and its residents. They
were not able to address social issues nor show justifiable
economic benefits to the people. With the Php 320 million of
business generated last year, not even the Php8 million spent for
the food of its personnel were sourced locally.
5. The Australians failed then to accept and trust the Filipinos
as competent managers of Lafayette Philippines mining operation.
***
Last year, during the opening of Lafayette Philippines at the
Rapu-rapu island in Albay, former DENR Secretary Mike Tan Defensor
bragged that Bicol will become the richest region in the country
within five years due to the mining operation.
We are not sure if such statement will still be taken at its face
value by Bicolanos today. In fact the Bicol Alliance Against
Mining (BAAM) warns that “not all that glitters is gold.” That is
why BAAM demand for the immediate closure of Lafayette mining
operation in Rapu-rapu! The alliance of NGOs, POs, school and
church-based environmental groups, also demand that Lafayette
clean up the environment mess they have caused, and compensate the
affected communities.
But some sectors that opposed the closure of the Lafayette mining
operation including the Provincial Government of Albay, argue that
Lafayette be given another chance under its new management to
implement the solutions to its major mistakes, and undertake
drastic changes for a responsible mining. If Lafayette close down,
small-scale miners from all over will swarm Rapu-rapu in no time
and convert the island into another Mt. Diwalwal in Davao they
said. It would be an environmental nightmare since these small
miners extensively and wantonly use mercury in extracting gold!
In a Position Paper issued February 16, 2006 regarding Mining in
Rapu-rapu, Dr.Emelina G. Regis, the Director of the Institute for
Environmental Conservation and Research (INECAR) of the Ateneo de
Naga University states: “The impacts of mining, both direct and
indirect cannot be compensated by the amount of earnings from
revenues. No amount of money can restore the productive capacities
of the land and the sea after mining has inflicted irreparable
damage on the ecosystems. No amount of money can compensate for
the sufferings of the people and loss of stability of their
families.”
QUOTES from the Philippine Daily Inquirer, February 27, 2006
Senate President Franklin Drilon reminded PNP Chief Lomibao and
the government that the Bill of Rights is not suspended and
remains in effect under the state of national emergency as
declared by Mrs. Arroyo. Drilon said, “Lomibao has no business
threatening the media. A state of emergency does not include
censorship of media.”
“It is bad enough that the Philippines is now known as one of
the most dangerous places for the journalists worldwide with the
spate of media killings, and now the PNP is creating another
notoriety as the suppressors of press freedom.” Senator Manuel
Villar
“Leaders fall when they tinker with the civil liberties of the
people.” Sen. Joker Arroyo
