Mining firm disputes environmentalist's claim

MANILA, Philippines - In a Davao forum organized recently by the Ateneo de Davao University’s Community Engagement and Advocacy Council, Bernie Lopez, an environmentalist with the Lopez Foundation group, called on Sagittarius Mines Inc. (SMI), government contractor for the proposed $5.9-billion Tampakan copper-gold project, to “stop its relocation efforts as these will induce violence in the project area.”

“The environmental compliance certificate (ECC) for the Tampakan mine project was denied so SMI must stop all activities, including its relocation efforts,” Lopez said.

Lopez also cited supposedly “SMI crimes against the Blaans, an indigenous tribe in the project area,” as documented by the Tampakan Forum fact-finding mission, a Church-led non-governmental group and initiative looking into the social impact of the proposed mining project.

“SMI has committed human rights violations in the project area and the company should stop all activities,” Lopez said.

In a statement yesterday, SMI external communications and media relations manager John Arnaldo, however, denied the company is already relocating people away from the area.

“Our proposal to relocate 1,000 families (approximately 5,000 people) according to Philippine laws has to undergo a very long process monitored and managed by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and other government agencies, including the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) before it can start,” Arnaldo said.

On SMI’s relocation proposal, Arnaldo said the company is still in the process of dialogue and consultation, adding, “The process has a long way to go before actual relocation happens.”

“According to the record of CHR-Region 12, not a single complaint on human rights violation has been filed against the company,” Arnaldo said.

This was confirmed with a check at the CHR-Region 12 office in General Santos City.

“We don’t have any reported human rights abuse cases in the Tampakan area since 2005,” said CHR-Region 12 records officer Anna Mae Panilagao.

Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) Region 12 director Constancio Paye Jr., on the other hand, said the ECC denial only stops “development and construction activities.”

“They can continue consultation and dialogue activities even without an ECC,” Paye said.

“We are continuing with our dialogue and consultation efforts with the communities in the project area to ensure that they participate fully in key decisions relating to the project,” Arnaldo said.