Suggestions for mining stakeholders

More than two weeks ago, at Camp John Hay in Baguio City, Philex Mining Corp. chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan delivered the keynote address during the 61st Annual National Mine Safety and Environment Conference.

This newspaper printed his speech in full with the headline, “Mining is not the enemy. Poverty is.” This is apparently a fav statement of MVP to many people, including those opposed to the extraction of mineral deposits within Philippine jurisdiction.

In his speech, I find it most appropriate and timely to focus on three areas that were singled out, as follows: regulatory competence, taxation, and revenue sharing between national and local governments.

As MVP had expressed, the government should not be seen as the enemy, but rather as a stakeholder whose objectives coincide with the mining industry in bringing growth to more Filipinos, especially those in hinterlands where there exists some of the poorest of the poor.

Therefore, government should be able to make informed decisions about how to proceed with the issues that mining companies face without being tagged as a spokesperson for business, while at the same time demonstrate their credibility and fairness by being transparent about the basis for their position.

Disclosures

This holds true for such sensitive issues like the amount of tax incentives that should be given to mining companies. To recognize just how risky mining is, and therefore needs to be adequately given incentives through tax breaks and an “equitable” sharing scheme, mining companies should be able to show exactly where they’re coming from.

In the same token, and hopefully this does not fall on deaf ears, advocacy groups should be able to give a clear position on what is a justifiable profit sharing between the mining companies and the Philippine government that will benefit all present and future Filipinos.

Harsh as it sounds, advocacy groups that cannot sit at a discussion table without threatening to walk out when their statements are questioned have no right at all to considered. Today, after all, is the age of enlightenment.

Finally, it would be beneficial for the concerned local governments to immediately and directly get their share of the lands’ riches but with clear-cut guidelines as to how this is going to be spent. Let’s not fall into the trap of corruption and questionable uses of the country’s resources.

Allow me to reprint the conclusion of MVP’s speech: “Mining is not the enemy. Poverty is. The lack of the most basic necessities, the lack of opportunities, the lack of choices – these pernicious deficits have plagued our people for far too long, in far too many places. Yet the supreme irony is that, in the midst of all this poverty, lie one of the world’s richest natural resources, a gift of providence endowed to our people.”

Rightly, let’s use this gift with utmost care and respect – and always in the interest of Filipinos.

Blast from the past

From one of our readers, Jerry Quibilan, shares a blast from the past to illustrate how the mining industry has touched the lives of many people, including the host communities where these companies did their business. Here goes:

“I concur with MVP as well. When ACMDC (Atlas Consolidated Mining and Development Co. was at its peak, … I would regularly visit because QV Philippines was then the sales representative of Graphite India Ltd (GIL).

“The quality of GIL’s graphite electrode is comparable to those from the west, but significantly cheaper. It did take some time to convince Jimmy Gutierrez, the ball mill plant manager, to shift the source of their electrodes, used in smelting scrap iron in their furnace, to GIL.

“Gutierrez placed a trial order and he found that the performance of the product was acceptable. He finally shifted his sourcing to GIL.

“Every time that we visited Toledo City, we were amazed at the city’s economic progress. The contributions of ACMDC to Toledo, that qualified it to be elevated to a city, were very evident, like the Don Andres Soriano National High School and the hospital where (Bobit Avila’s) uncle, Dr. Olivero Segura worked as the second in command.

“Speaking of number two, the brother-in-law of Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes and DFA Usec Jose Brillantes was the EVP of ACMDC. ACMDC’s CSR programs also included reforestation. I am happy to note that several trees were  planted under my name as my  contribution to this project.

“Indeed, mining is not the enemy. Poverty is.”

National Collegiate Championship

The annual search for the best collegiate basketball team gives recognition to the development of basketball as part of an overall sports program being undertaken by private schools all over the country. Each student enrolee contributes to school funds for sports activities, with basketball getting a substantial share.

The collegiate basketball season, in particular, starts in April and ends December, with over 250 school teams participating in regular tournaments conducted by 35 formally organized leagues.

Philippine Collegiate Champions League (PCCL) is accredited by Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas (SBP) to organize and manage a nationwide multi-level tournament that will gather provincial league champions and top rank teams of major leagues, e.g., UAAP, NCAA, CESAFI, etc., to compete for the one national collegiate title.   

In the 2014 National Collegiate Championship, 26 provincial champion teams went through regional games held at Dagupan City, Naga City, Dumaguete City, Cagayan de Oro City, and NCR. The teams that emerged from the regional games advanced to the qualifying games held at Tanauan City, Batangas and Cebu City to compete and earn a seat in the Elite Eight stage. 

The Elite Eight is composed of the top two teams from UAAP, NCAA, and CESAFI and the two teams that survived the regional and qualifying games. The top four teams after the Elite Eight games advance to the highest stage, the Premier Four.

For 2014, the Premier Four teams that emerged after the rigorous competitions are the San Beda Red Lions, De La Salle University Green Archers, University of San Carlos Warriors, and University of Visayas Green Lancers.

The Champions League (PCCL) National Collegiate Championship is sponsored by media partners ABS-CBN and Philippine Star, Phoenix Petroleum, Molten Balls, Fil-Oil Flying V Sports, Fog City Creamery and Foccacia. 

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Should you wish to share any insights, write me at Link Edge, 25th Floor, 139 Corporate Center, Valero Street, Salcedo Village, 1227 Makati City. Or e-mail me at [email protected]. For a compilation of previous articles, visit www.BizlinksPhilippines.net.