Nature shook the earth to drive away destructive mining*
Andrea Guerrero
ARMANDO SUMAYANG, JR. COMMAND,
NPA-Negros Island
July 25, 2011
Nature is furious because of the exploitation of the big foreign capitalists, bourgeois compradors and bureaucrat capitalists. It’s high time to drive away these giant mines from our lands, mountains and seas.
This is the message that Nature wants to convey in the series of earthquakes especially in the 6th District wherein Sipalay was the hardest hit.
We cannot deny the fact that there is a fault line running the 6th District and extends up to Central Negros, Bayawan and Basay in Negros Oriental. The movements in the fault line resulted to earthquakes in the past and the present. These quakes become frequent and stronger because of the mining activities in the mountains by the recently punished Philex Mining Corp, Selenga Mining Corp, San Dominico Mining and Industrial Corp and the Maricalum Mining Corp.
The nearby seas of Cauayan, Sipalay and Hinobaan will be mined by the Philippine Alliance Integrated Mineral Development Inc. That covers 21,000 hectares to take out magnetite. The NPA is still investigating if reports are true that Chevron-Texaco has an oil exploration in the sea waters of southern Negros.
Besides the continuing quakes, the people of Sipalay is also in grave danger of the possibility that the sinking pond caused by the open pit mining of Maricalum Mining Corp will be damaged. The said pit served as a graveyard of more than 100 innocent victims murdered in the area. There is also the danger of the toxic waste to spill out when there are heavy rains since Maricalum Mining has not made any appropriate rehabilitation.
Some councilors of Sipalay has made a good move particularly SP Edmund Garenganao in pursuing an on-site inspection of Maricalum Sinking. However this fell short of pressuring the mines in its obligations of rehabilitating the surroundings and the communities cause by damages before and in the future. This is also besides their obligations to the workers and the security guards. There is an urgent need for your strong anti-mining stand.
We are reminding the officials and Brgy Captains of Sipalay led by Oscar Montilla who have agreed to welcome giant mining firms in the City that the kickbacks and grease money you received will not be enough to the damages to be caused by these mines. The people and nature itself will pursue you for retribution.
Surely these corrupt officials will even exploit these quakes to declare these areas of responsibility as calamity areas and will use the people to demand for government funds so they can dip their dirty fingers.
We call on the people to arise and demand to close these mines and for them to pay for the damages they have caused to the environment and the people. The people must also demand that government provides material and financial support cause by these quakes that have affected their livelihood.
Let us unite and act in defending the environment. Foreign mines must go. The Phil Mining Act of 1995 must be totally scrapped!
