Are pro-mining groups afraid to debate?

For the past three weeks, the Save Palawan Team had been working very hard, preparing for the much anticipated forum with 25 pro-mining advocates. We were confident of our case. We had reality and common sense backing us up plus the energies of over 800,000 signatories who, up to the time of the forum, indicated their support.

The idea was to have three segments focusing on the issues: biodiversity, food security and the economy.

In each segment there would be three panelists for either side. Also, there would be 25 people in the audience for either side. In each segment, the audience would be given five minutes to say their piece.

So we were quite disappointed when, on the afternoon of the forum just a few hours before, Francis Toral of ANC informed us that the Chamber of Mines and the MGB were pulling out, despite the fact the date of the debate had been decided according to their availability.

The retreat by the Chamber of Mines threw chaos into the program format. At the very end two geologists agreed to attend: CP David and director Arcilla. I know CP very well. We have worked together in the La Mesa Eco Park and I have great regard for CP’s father Randy. They didn’t want to appear as apologists for the mining industry so the set-up was that we would all say our piece and then exchange comments.

So we decided to go on with the show as we had flown farmers all the way from Palawan and it was important the public to hear their stories, their sentiments and the reality of their experiences.

The discussion led to much frustration — because, after all had talked, there were only two minutes left to do any kind of rebuttal. The format was meant to provide ample interaction time for both sides.

I need to make something clear. The Save Palawan Movement is not saying all mining is bad. We are against mining in island ecosystems, in agricultural areas, in key biodiversity areas and in watershed areas.

Palawan is our rallying cry. Any kind of mining in Palawan — whether large-scale or small-scale — is devastating because it is an island ecosystem with coral reefs, mangroves, farmlands, vast watersheds and old growth forests.

Economically, the island and the country stand to gain financially, but could gain so much more by leaving the forests alone. The carbon credits of Palawan’s forests alone are double the total mineral lode of the entire country! (That is data provided by PCSD and the Chamber of Commerce.) So why mine — when mining this year has only given us 1.4 percent GDP and .37 percent employment?

Palawan supplies 50 percent of the fish requirements of Metro Manila — and is one of the major if not the premier tourist destination in the country. So why endanger all of that for the minerals of foreigners?

Misleading

There have been many full-page ads stating, “Nature gave us minerals — and we get back a forest.” This is a very misleading statement. Firstly, not the entire mined-out area has been reforested. Secondly, Rio Tuba Company has been mining in Bataraza for 36 years. And they now take pride in starting to reforest the area as late as 2008 — 33 years later?

That should be a source of shame, not pride.

Does Rio Tuba really believe that the biodiversity, the intricate design that nature has evolved over millions of years, will come back when they reforest 33 years later and with mostly exotic plant species at that?

Moreover, during one major typhoon a year and a half ago, Rio Tuba, which has invested $2.2 billion in Bataraza, had a barge with tons of nickel that overturned spilling all its deadly nickel on the coral reefs. One accident: that’s all it took to wipe out what has taken nature millions of years to form.

Why mine in an area where there are very harmful probabilities and no absolute assurance that the minerals will not wreck havoc on the ecosystem and clearly disadvantage thousands — not for one year, or two years but possibly for decades and even generations?

Conservation

DENR and PCSD commissioned Conservation International — a well-known conservation group — to do a study on Mt. Matalingahan, located in Brookes Point, Palawan.

The conclusions of that study clearly stated that in terms of carbon credit and water for household and agriculture, if Mt. Matalingahan were left alone, the benefits to the ecological system would amount to P98 billion! In contrast, the mining revenues from the actual use of the land amounted to only P15 billion. The study concluded that it is best to leave Mt. Matalingahan alone.

Yet in December 2010, PCSD re-zoned a core forest of 2,400 hectares down to 87 — and recommended allowing two huge mining applications to operate in Mt. Matalingahan. Huh?

Palawan, meanwhile, is a UNESCO biosphere reserve. It is a Game Nature Reserve. There are laws and laws promulgating that mining should not be allowed in Palawan.

Why, then, is the government entity mandated to take care of this preserved land allowing its butchery? Why is there this indifference to the plight of the people who live there?

If minerals are important, then water, air and food are certainly much more so. And these minerals are not even used by the Filipino people — they are exported to be used by foreigners.

The country benefits so little — and the devastation is so huge. Why are we suffering so much for so little, and for others?

As the mining applications in Palawan are still there and the issues of the farmers have not yet been addressed, we need to call attention to this mining menace.

So join our signature drive. Download the form, sign the petition and get others to join this important effort. Our future, the future of our children, the country’s own future, is in our hands — today.

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P.S. On the evening of Holy Thursday, we hit 1,055,000 signatories. The bulk of the signatures came from on-ground efforts; a little over 50,000 came from online. Of the on-ground efforts more than half a million came from the students. The strong support of the students, the church and the NGOs are behind the success of this campaign. We move forward, our country’s future in our hearts.

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I can be reached at regina_lopez@abs-cbn.com.