[Ms. Gina Lopez's 6-point argument for the environment; excerpts from her essay "Stand for the environment " in rapplerdotcom, where she cited Dipolog City's bottled sardines industry, alternative to mining as a source of revenues although threatened by the latter's impact on the environment.]
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| Gina Lopez speaks for the environment; mrcheapjustice blog photo |
1. Biodiversity holds pre-eminent value
Biodiversity is the different flora and fauna that provide our people with fresh air, food. It is life. In the universe of what is important, it holds pre-eminent value.
Our country ranks No. 1 in endemicity per unit area, which means the flora and fauna found here cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
Given that our country is also the number one typhoon-hit country in the planet, it is disturbing that mining priority areas are right on top of bio diversity areas, agricultural areas, water catchment areas.
Biodiversity areas are often also rich in mineral resources. Mining in these areas will damage our biodiversity irreversibly.
Reforestation does not replicate an ecological system. No amount of planting trees will bring biodiversity back. Our country and the world stands much more to gain by leaving these sites alone.
The business community needs to understand that it is good business sense to keep our biodiversity alive. That an economic path - which is just focused on money - is not to going to bring on the well being of our people.
2. Island ecosystems
This is an interweave of different ecological systems: forests, mountains, coral reefs, mangroves, farmlands - all intertwined in a specific location where rivers and streams lead into the sea.
Any kind of mining in these islands - whether they be large scale or small scale - is grossly irresponsible especially since our country is hit by typhoons every year!
3. Mining has a very poor track record
The highest incidence of poverty is in the mining sector. The poorest areas in the country are mining areas: Samar, Surigao, Benguet, Zambaonga.
Even in mining areas where the municipality has upgraded to first class, the incidence of poverty remains high.
For instance, in Caraga, the GDP went up by P40 billion from 2007 to 2009. However, the incidence of poverty went up from 46% to 49%, attributed to mining.
We have hundreds of unrehabilitated mine sites. After decades of mining, we do not even have one rehabilitated mine site. So why are we continuing this path ?
4. National government earns very little from mining
It accounts for only 1.3% GDP and 0.36% of employment.
There is a 5-year tax holiday so operations are usually front-loaded during these years.
We have no standard of evaluating what we are giving up. For all the billions of dollars poured into the country from mining - how much is net for the country after we subtract the cost of development?
At the end of the day, if the communities around the mine site remain poor and at risk, why do we continue to do it?
5. Alternatives to mining
This was my "fight" with Manny Pangilinan, when he said that the sites where there is mining are largely mined because not much else can be done there anyway. I so very much disagree!!
There have been and there are beautiful sites that are currently being mined - which should never have been mined.
For example there is mining on top of the rice granary of Palawan. Why was this ever allowed? There is mining in protected areas.
The reality is, our beautiful, protected areas are rezoned to allow for mining applications, which only makes more glaring the government inability to ensure the common good.
6. Mining threatens food security
That is a fact because mining threatens water.
We have documents and lab reports where mining operations have damaged farm lands, and fishery resources and the disadvanted continue to lack in compensation.
7. Mining threatens health
We have documented cases where children, and adults have suffered due to the mine sites.
In Palawan there are already evidences of rivers containing carcinoogeneic substances documented by Friends of the Earth, Japanese NGO. Data exists that hexavelent chromium levels in Tagupog River near Batarazza exceed the normal. Hexavelent results in cancer, nerve damage and death.
6. There is another way!
Biodiversity is the different flora and fauna that provide our people with fresh air, food. It is life. In the universe of what is important, it holds pre-eminent value.
Our country ranks No. 1 in endemicity per unit area, which means the flora and fauna found here cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
Given that our country is also the number one typhoon-hit country in the planet, it is disturbing that mining priority areas are right on top of bio diversity areas, agricultural areas, water catchment areas.
Biodiversity areas are often also rich in mineral resources. Mining in these areas will damage our biodiversity irreversibly.
Reforestation does not replicate an ecological system. No amount of planting trees will bring biodiversity back. Our country and the world stands much more to gain by leaving these sites alone.
The business community needs to understand that it is good business sense to keep our biodiversity alive. That an economic path - which is just focused on money - is not to going to bring on the well being of our people.
2. Island ecosystems
This is an interweave of different ecological systems: forests, mountains, coral reefs, mangroves, farmlands - all intertwined in a specific location where rivers and streams lead into the sea.
Any kind of mining in these islands - whether they be large scale or small scale - is grossly irresponsible especially since our country is hit by typhoons every year!
3. Mining has a very poor track record
The highest incidence of poverty is in the mining sector. The poorest areas in the country are mining areas: Samar, Surigao, Benguet, Zambaonga.
Even in mining areas where the municipality has upgraded to first class, the incidence of poverty remains high.
For instance, in Caraga, the GDP went up by P40 billion from 2007 to 2009. However, the incidence of poverty went up from 46% to 49%, attributed to mining.
We have hundreds of unrehabilitated mine sites. After decades of mining, we do not even have one rehabilitated mine site. So why are we continuing this path ?
4. National government earns very little from mining
It accounts for only 1.3% GDP and 0.36% of employment.
There is a 5-year tax holiday so operations are usually front-loaded during these years.
We have no standard of evaluating what we are giving up. For all the billions of dollars poured into the country from mining - how much is net for the country after we subtract the cost of development?
At the end of the day, if the communities around the mine site remain poor and at risk, why do we continue to do it?
5. Alternatives to mining
This was my "fight" with Manny Pangilinan, when he said that the sites where there is mining are largely mined because not much else can be done there anyway. I so very much disagree!!
There have been and there are beautiful sites that are currently being mined - which should never have been mined.
For example there is mining on top of the rice granary of Palawan. Why was this ever allowed? There is mining in protected areas.
The reality is, our beautiful, protected areas are rezoned to allow for mining applications, which only makes more glaring the government inability to ensure the common good.
6. Mining threatens food security
That is a fact because mining threatens water.
We have documents and lab reports where mining operations have damaged farm lands, and fishery resources and the disadvanted continue to lack in compensation.
7. Mining threatens health
We have documented cases where children, and adults have suffered due to the mine sites.
In Palawan there are already evidences of rivers containing carcinoogeneic substances documented by Friends of the Earth, Japanese NGO. Data exists that hexavelent chromium levels in Tagupog River near Batarazza exceed the normal. Hexavelent results in cancer, nerve damage and death.
6. There is another way!
In
Dipolog City, the sardines business provides jobs and income to 2,000
people from 14 barangays. This is all put to risk by approved mining in
Sergio Osmeña since the river that runs through Sergio Osmeña is the
same river that runs through Dipolog. Last year the sales from
the sardines reached P79 Million! I have projects in Puerto Princesa
where poor communites are now able to send their kids to college after
only 2 years of eco tourism and where each family now earns up to
P15,000 a month!
The economy of Puerto Princesa is hitting the roof without mining but through tourism and agriculture. Camarines Sur and Bohol are similar economic models that have gone tourism successfully.
Do we have any economic model of mining where the community AROUND is happy and healthy and the enviromment is beautiful and rehabilitated.
As far as I know there is none. So why are we doing this?!
The economy of Puerto Princesa is hitting the roof without mining but through tourism and agriculture. Camarines Sur and Bohol are similar economic models that have gone tourism successfully.
Do we have any economic model of mining where the community AROUND is happy and healthy and the enviromment is beautiful and rehabilitated.
As far as I know there is none. So why are we doing this?!
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