Fact Finding Trip to the Philippines

British MP "enormously shocked" by mining operations in Philippines

2006-08-14T08:08:00.000-07:00

Clare Short MP has vowed to take a stand against destructive mining practices following a 10-day fact-finding trip to the Philippines. The MP for Birmingham Ladywood said she was shocked and appalled by the level of environmental, social and cultural damage mining companies have caused in the country.

Clare Short said: “I have never seen anything so systematically destructive as the mining programme in the Philippines. The environmental effects are catastrophic as are the effects on people’s livelihoods.”

Short met with communities affected by mining, particularly gold mining, and heard how they had been moved off their lands and indigenous peoples’ legal right to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent ignored. She saw polluted rivers, destroyed mangrove forests, damaged coral and damaged agriculture. She felt that “a decent strategy is needed for mining which takes in the criteria for sustainable development”.

She said both the Philippines Government and the mining companies are failing to comply with national laws and international standards and the country is in danger of losing its rich biodiversity as well as destroying indigenous cultures.

The World Bank in the Philippines has supported large scale mining and the Philippines Government is actively promoting mining as a means to address poverty in the country. Some of the companies involved are based in the UK, and increasingly money from the City of London is being used to fund these disastrous projects. However, Short says she found scant evidence of mining benefiting local people or the country’s economy as a whole. She said she had seen how mining is destroying people’s livelihoods and also that it is difficult to find accurate figures on how much of the mining companies’ money remains in the country.

Short travelled with representatives from the Columban Fathers, the IUCN Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy and the Irish Centre for Human Rights. She expressed support for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines which has been vocal in public opposition to the country’s Mining Act and local mining practices.

A recent CAFOD report, “Unearth Justice: Counting the cost of gold”, exposed the negative impacts of gold mining internationally. CAFOD’s Unearth Justice campaign aims to raise awareness of the effects of gold mining on developing countries, such as the Philippines, and is calling on people in the UK to press key players in the mining industry for higher environmental and social standards in the mining industry worldwide.

The facting finding team is preparing a report on the visit which will be available in January 2007. Photos taken during the fact finding trip (July / August 2006) are posted below. In light of the alarming number of extrajudicial killings of activists in the Philippines, the identify of some individuals has been concealed for their safety.

2006-08-08T07:59:00.000-07:00

The Fact Finding Team, Clive Wicks (IUCN Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy), (identity concealed), Clare Short MP, Cathal Doyle (Irish Centre for Human Rights) Fr Frank Nally Columban Fathers

2006-08-08T07:56:00.000-07:00

August 2. British Ambassador, Peter Beckingham

2006-08-08T07:54:00.000-07:00

August 2. Briefing/ Lunch with British Ambassador, Peter Beckingham,
Fr Edwin Gariguez preist in Mindoro at location of Crew Mining application

2006-08-08T07:49:00.000-07:00

August 2 Meeting with Philip Romualdez Chairman Chamber of Mines and President of Benguet Mining

2006-08-08T07:47:00.000-07:00

August 2 Meeting with Philip Romualdez Chairman Chamber of Mines and President of Benguet Mining

2006-08-08T07:38:00.000-07:00

August 2. Briefing/ Lunch with British Ambassador, Peter Beckingham,
Undersecretary Ramon Paje DENR (Dept. Environment and Natural
Resources), Governor of Mindoro, Arnan C. Panaligan

2006-08-08T07:37:00.000-07:00

August 2. Briefing/ Lunch with British Ambassador, Peter Beckingham.
Undersecretary Ramon Paje DENR (Dept. Environment and Natural
Resources and Cathal Doyle (Irish Centre for Human Rights)

2006-08-08T07:35:00.000-07:00

August 2. Briefing/ Lunch with British Ambassador, Peter Beckingham re. Crew Mining. Governor of Mindoro, Arnan C. Panaligan and Clare Short

2006-08-08T07:17:00.000-07:00

July 31st Meeting with Bishop Jose Manguiran - re. Canadian TVI Resources Mt Canatuan

2006-08-08T07:16:00.000-07:00

July 31st Meeting with Bishop Jose Manguiran - re. Canadian TVI Resources mining at Mt Canatuan

2006-08-08T07:15:00.000-07:00

31st July Libay, Sibutad the bay where coral and mangroves were killed as a result of mining operations.

2006-08-08T07:14:00.000-07:00

31st July Libay, Sibutad. Local people impacted by past Philex Mining operations and current small scale mining which they believe is linked to Philex Mines

2006-08-08T07:11:00.000-07:00

31st July Libay, Sibutad Sign Reads ' First the People'

2006-08-08T07:09:00.000-07:00

31st July Libay, Sibutad Previous site of Philex Mining. Closed down due to protests following pollution but locals fear that there may be attempts to reopen it.

2006-08-08T07:07:00.000-07:00

31st July Libay, Sibutad. Local farmer shows rash as a result of contact with water in his rice field

2006-08-08T07:01:00.000-07:00

30th July. Midsalip, Clare Short with mountains with mining applications behind

2006-08-08T06:56:00.000-07:00

30th July. Midsalip. Clare Short giving speach to local community.

2006-08-08T06:54:00.000-07:00

30th July. Midsalip, Fact finding team with local environmental activist and representative of farmers. Mountains under application for mining in background.

2006-08-08T06:50:00.000-07:00

30th July. Midsalip, Mountains where mining applications are being sought with irrigated rice field below

2006-08-08T06:34:00.000-07:00

30th July. Midsalip, Rice fields at bottom of sacred mountain where mining is proposed

2006-08-08T06:33:00.000-07:00

30th July. Midsalip, Map of Area affected by mining application showing the important watershed area and rich agricultural land surrounding the area under mining applications.

2006-08-08T06:32:00.000-07:00

30th July. Midsalip, Meeting with Subaanen People

2006-08-08T06:31:00.000-07:00

30th July. Midsalip, Meeting with Subaanen People

2006-08-08T06:30:00.001-07:00

30th July. Midsalip, Meeting with Subaanen People

2006-08-08T06:30:00.000-07:00

30th July. Midsalip, Meeting with Subaanen People

2006-08-08T06:29:00.000-07:00

30th July. Midsalip, Meeting with Subaanen people

2006-08-08T06:28:00.000-07:00

29th July Mindanao meeting with - DCMI (www.dcmiphil.org) Timuay Jose "Boy" Anoy Subanon disposed tribal leader and the Glaves family who had just been evicted from the mining site of TVI Resources Development Phils Inc (a subsidiary of a Canadian mining company TVI Pacific Inc). They accuse members of TVIs private security force SCAA of the forced eviction.

2006-08-08T06:27:00.000-07:00

29th July Mindanao Clare Short with Glaves family (front left) who had just been forcibly evicted and their house demolished. Tribal leader and spokesman far right.

2006-08-08T06:24:00.000-07:00

29th July Mindanao Clare Short at meeting with DCMI. Far left Timuay Jose "Boy" Anoy the disposed tribal leader, Far right Onsino Mato, Spokesperson for the descendants of Apo Manglang who established the traditional Subanon boundaries and territories in which TVI mining company is operating.

2006-08-08T06:19:00.000-07:00

29th July Mindanao, meeting with - DCMI (www.dcmiphil org) and Timuay Jose "Boy" Anoy the disposed tribal leader and other members of the Subanon community from the Mt Canatuan area. Mt Canatuan was the sacred mountain of the Subanon people and is now the site of TVI gold mining operations.

2006-08-08T06:15:00.000-07:00

July 28th meeting with Chief Justice, Artemio V. Panganiban

2006-08-08T06:14:00.000-07:00

July 28th Meeting with Chief Justice, Artemio V. Panganiban

2006-08-08T06:12:00.000-07:00

July 28th Meeting with Chief Justice, Artemio V. Panganiban

2006-08-08T06:10:00.000-07:00

Clare Short and Dr Ernie Gonzales
(Consultant to CBCP on Mining) at the Pontifical University of Santo Thomas, Manila

2006-08-08T06:09:00.000-07:00

Meeting with Dr Ernie Gonzales
(Consultant to CBCP on Mining) at the Pontifical University of Santo Thomas, Manila with Civil Society members, NGOs, Indigenous Peoples organizations, academics and house representatives

2006-08-08T06:05:00.000-07:00

Retired Judge Dolores Espanol head of Transparency International Philippines at the office of the Ombudsman with the Fact Finding Team Clive Wicks (IUCN Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy), Rt. Hon. Clare Short MP, Cathal Doyle (Irish Centre for Human Rights), CAFOD Representative (Identity concealed), Fr Frank Nally

2006-08-08T05:57:00.000-07:00

Clive Wicks providing overview of Strategic Environmental Assessment at NGO meeting

2006-08-08T05:52:00.000-07:00

27th July. Clare Short at indigenous peoples and environmental NGO meeting. Including representatives from:
- Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center/Kasama sa Kalikasan
(LRC-KSK)- Friends of the Earth Philippines, Tebtebba, lingkod tao
Kalikasan, Haribon, Mother Earth, Foundation for Philippine Environment,
Defend national Patrimony, Center for Environment Concern/Kalikasan,IUCN
Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy
(CEESP)-Philippines, Midsalip representatives.

Fact Finding Trip to the Philippines

2006-08-08T05:37:00.000-07:00