Responsible mining: Poverty and insurgency antidote

The most often-quoted line about knowledge has been “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing”. Though synonymously used with “a little learning is a dangerous thing”, this line is indeed the original and is attributed to Alexander Pope (1688-1744) in his “Essay on Criticism” in 1709.

To my mind though, little learning isn’t dangerous and is many times better than lots of ignorance. Little learning will only be dangerous when one, despite having a few, pretends to know too much. Said differently, it is only dangerous when someone, despite having a very small amount of knowledge, will try to mislead people into believing that he or she is an expert of such field.

Last week, this line was more prominent and its thought was indeed happening. In a Conference on Mining’s Impact on the Philippine Economy and Ecology at the Hotel Intercontinental in Makati City on Friday, it was more pronounced. In her interaction with Philex Mining Corporation Chairman Manny V. Pangilinan and Chamber of Mines director Gerard Brimo, Ms. Regina Paz L. Lopez (ABS-CBN Foundation Inc.) inadequate knowledge in the mining industry and lack of credibility were explicably obvious. 

First and foremost, Ms. Lopez claimed that “mining communities were among the poorest in the country”.   She further “dismissed the alleged benefits to surrounding communities where mining companies operate, saying the poorest areas in the country are mining areas”. Moreover, she (as a known environmentalist) claimed that “whether large-scale or small-scale, mining is grossly irresponsible”. 

These sweeping pronouncements are quite uneducated. For one, to say that mining communities are among the poorest in the country is downright false. As Cebuanos, we are living witnesses of how the families in the immediate environs of the then prosperous Atlas Consolidated Mining and Development Corp. (ACMDC), now Carmen Copper Corp., lived and enjoyed abundant lives. They had several pockets of self-contained and prosperous communities. They were self-sufficient to some extent. They had a hospital and a top-of-the-line private secondary education provided by a known and highly regarded sectarian school system. Businesses do thrive too. In fact, not only was progress limited in the immediate surroundings of the mining site or Toledo, it swelled until the towns of Pinamungajan and Balamban. 

On the other hand, her claim of being staunch supporter of environmental care and safety is quite questionable. First, their clan is into natural gas extraction through First Gen Corp. This is mining too in the strictest sense. Therefore, in this regard, their clan’s natural gas extraction must also be stopped and she should advise her clan to do it now to make her more credible. Moreover, it can be recalled that sometime July or August of 2010, the Lopez Group of Companies through its Chairman Emeritus Oscar Lopez (apparently, her relative) announced that the group has considered venturing into nuclear power as part of its power-generation portfolio. When asked if First Gen Corp. is open to nuclear power generation, he emphatically stressed that “it is not impossible”. In fact, he even further emphasized that the company has been doing some feasibility studies on nuclear power since 2007. 

Frankly, to make Ms. Lopez take on the environmental issues about mining be more trustworthy, she should start it with her clan. Are they (the Lopez clan) willing to abandon their group’s natural gas extraction and plans for a nuclear power plant? Considering what happened to Japan a year ago, is it not more environmentally hazardous to have a nuclear power plant than having a strictly regulated mining industry?

Today, it is totally undeniable what the mining industry has done and can still do. For one, it prevents rural exodus. We may not be aware of it but rural migration has been here for many decades now. Even before the Middle Eastern countries started to explore their oil reserves and have attracted thousands of Filipinos, migration was already considered the most preferred option amongst us. Today, it is even becoming more popular. We called it rural exodus or rural flight.

Rural exodus or rural flight is in fact more prevalent now than before. Rural exodus or rural flight refers to migratory patterns that normally happen in a depressed region or province. Due to limited opportunities, there tends to be a movement of people from the rural areas to the urban areas. The search for better lives has always been their common denominator.

In both instances, the advent of modern technology has been the biggest contributor to this phenomenon. News or reports about progressive countries or cities and the better lives of their inhabitants (true or not) can be heard or seen right in their or their neighbors’ living rooms. Naturally, the dream to try their luck mounts.  

Also, the advancement of communication technology made it easy for these hopefuls to make decisions. Though they have to leave their families for the time being, the portability of their best communication equipment made them more comfortable even if they are far away. They are fully aware that knowing their families’ well-being is just a call away.

However, despite these conveniences, most rural folks will definitely stay where they are if opportunities to earn are present and reachable. When all the necessities like food, shelter, clothing as well as health and school facilities are available they shall surely stay put. 

True enough, in most natural-resources-abundant far-flung regions and provinces, the opportunities are crystal clear. Apart from the not-so-manpower oriented tourism related industry which normally thrives along beaches and shorelines, some areas that are figuratively and literally remote are richly endowed with mineral resources. Contrary to the claims of some cause-oriented groups, the government and the mining industry have until today continued to provide opportunities in the countryside.

Truth to tell, there are perceived and real downsides in mining. Mostly, these are perpetrated by irresponsible mining companies that never cared about the environment. Undeniably, however, responsible miners did not just help mitigate damaging consequences of mining but have continually poured billions of investments in the countryside. These investments not only provided employment in these areas but helped build healthy communities as well.

Due to this notable contribution of the mining operations to the economic well-being of our rural folks and its commitment to build better road network,   insurgency has stopped to flourish. Apparently disadvantaged, in order to assert their (insurgents) continuing presence and scare away investors, they even try to terrorize mining firms unceasingly. Last year, in fact, the New Peoples Army (NPA) attacked three mining firms in Claver, Surigao del Norte province so they may stop operations there and they may be able to continue their recruitment activities.      

Indeed, economic migrants (my preferred term for OFWs) and rural migrants are growing in huge numbers everyday. Whether they are compelled to do it for lack of choices as claimed by the cause-oriented groups remain vague. Certainly, however, they are leaving this country or the countryside for their families’ future. They had to do it to provide their children the best education available. To some, they did it to give their families a kind of economic well-being that they perceived better than that of their neighbors. Or, in some instances, is brought about by that burning desire to outsize and dwarf an unfriendly neighbor’s mansion.

There could be thousands of reasons why they had to leave this country to earn somewhere else. Likewise, there could be millions of reasons why some poor farmers in the hinterlands had to try their luck in highly urbanized cities like Manila or Cebu. However, if we are able to provide opportunities in places (like the mining sites) where they are right now, they will certainly make it their preferred choice. 

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