Absence of community involvement in mining reform pact questioned

MANILA, Philippines — Non-government organization Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM) urged the government to involve local communities affected by mining operations in its joint declaration with miners on policy reforms regarding the country’s mining industry.

ATM expressed disappointment over the exclusion of mining-affected communities in the development of the joint declaration by Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and mining groups in  the country.

“Residents, especially indigenous peoples, women and youth, of mining sites bear the brunt of the consequences of mining, yet they are the ones who are blatantly ignored in the crafting of mining policies,” the group said in a statement yesterday.

The group was reacting to an accord forged by the DENR and mining groups last month regarding the policy reforms needed in the mining industry aimed at promoting sustainable and responsible mining practices.

“This utter disregard of the voices of the grassroots communities is consistent with the lack of respect of mining firms and the DENR to the resistance against large-scale mining in many sites of struggles,” ATM said.

“Without the involvement of communities, the carefully-worded commitments of the mining firms and the DENR to policy reforms could only mean that the proposed changes are intended to advance the agenda for more profits. For how can the interests of the communities be ensured when they are absent in policy-making processes?” it added.

For one, the group claimed that the streamlining of regulatory mining processes could result in the lack of compliance with environmental laws and requirements by mining firms.

“We are also disturbed about the imbalance between government’s aggressive promotion of mining and its lackluster performance on conservation and care of protected areas,” the group said.

“Worse, in some areas, large-scale mining virtually encroaches on protected lands and these violations are condoned,” the group added.

The group called for the urgent passage of Alternative Minerals Management Bill (AMMB) that would rationalize the use of minerals and utilize mining for national industrialization.

The group argued that the proposed legislative measure would prohibit mining in areas that are sources of water and food and would put “greater” safeguards for communities.

“Overall, we question the Joint Declaration. We highly doubt the sense of accountability of the mining industry and the DENR to mining-affected communities. Not involving the communities in this Joint Declaration signify that they do lack that sense of responsibility,” the group said.