Tuesday, September 9, 2008

NEWS: Masara landslide alarms environmental group Panalipdan-SMR

Published in MINDANEWS & BULATLAT

Environmentalist group PANALIPDAN!-Southern Mindanao expressed concerns over the consequent landslides that hit Brgy. Masara in Maco Compostela Valley Province which to date has already claimed the lives of 30 individuals (as Associated Press has reported) and displaced nearly 5,000 people.

"We lament the loss of civilian lives over these tragic incidents. We call on the authorities, all environmental and humanitarian advocates to continue to extend aid and services to the victims of this calamity, " said Francis Morales, spokesperson of PANALIPDAN-SMR.

PANALIPDAN! – SMR, a group which advocates the defense of the environment, land rights, food sovereignty and national patrimony among others, demanded that along with the rescue and relief operations, a probe on the mining operations of the APEX Mining Company and its current operator, CREW MINERALS must be initiated.

According to PANALIPDAN – SMR'S researches on the APEX website, APEX which started its mining operations in Masara since the 1890's has been recently acquired by Crew Minerals Corporation, a Canada-based large-scale mining company. Since its acquisition of the Masara gold mine in 2005, Crew Minerals has started the refurbishment of the APEX processing plant and to date, its 500 t/d plant is already operational.

CREW Minerals has continued its drillings now reaching up to 32,000 meters. Underground development of the APEX property continues with portals and ramp systems are being continuously opened as APEX gears to increase its target production of 85,000 to 180,000 oz of gold and 500,000 to 600,000 oz of silver at the end of 2008.

In this light, Morales dismissed the denials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Mines and Geosciences Bureau that the tragedy was caused by mining operations.

"Monsoon rains happen normally in other parts of the country but landslides are more often than not easily triggered in areas where man-made intervention or aggression occurs such as large scale mining operations which involve the use of heavy equipment and environmentally hazardous methods. Sec. Atienza was right when he said we should not blame small scale mining operations. But large scale mining corporations who hide beneath small scale mining claims or MPSA's should not let off the hook too quickly, " Morales said.

Morales issued a warning to the Mines and GeoSciences Bureau as well as with the DENR.

"Civilian lives are at stake due to the relentless issuance of mining permits to foreign mining companies amidst the government's sinful leniency and negligence of environmental safeguards, and dogged obeisance to mining capitalists," said the environmentalist leader.

PANALIPDAN!-SMR recounted the landslides in Kingking Mines as well as in Mt. Diwata due to the mining operations in the areas.

The environmentalist group which has more than twenty-five member organizations in the region reiterated the call to scrap the Philippine Mining Act of 1995.

September 9, 2008

Reference:
Francis Morales
Spokesperson
PANALIPDAN!-SMR