Surigao small- scale miners face new roadblock; Mamanwas say their consent not sought
By Roel Catoto
February 5, 2012

SURIGAO CITY (MindaNews/04 Feb) — Members of the Mamanwa tribe said they may not allow the creation of a “Minahan ng Bayan” or People’s Small-Scale Mining Area within their ancestral domain, claiming the planners did not seek their consent.

The Mamanwa tribe under the MAMASANSISU group, comprising 16 tribal communities, said the miners operating near the Parang-Parang watershed did not seek their Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC).

MAMASANSISU leaders said the operations of Nagkahiusang Gagmay’ng Minero (Nagami), occupy a portion of their claimed ancestral domain but Nagami has not sought their FPIC.

In December 2011, Nagami applied for a Minahan Ng Bayan (People’s Small Scale Mining Area) permit before the Provincial Regulatory Mining Board, covering 20 hectares in Barangays Mat-i and Mabini.

Datu German B. Tiambong, Mamasansisu head claimant, said they will not tell Nagami what to do but added that it was the latter’s obligation to seek their consent.

Tiambong said mining in Parang-Parang, the source of potable water in Surigao City, started in the 1960s. He said they could not do anything to stop it because the Indigenous People’s Rights Act or IPRA Law in 1997 and Mining Act of 1995 had not yet been enacted. These laws empowered IP groups to manage the natural resources within their own domain.

Mamasansisu leaders held a meeting on Monday at a local beach resort and discussed their Ancestral Domain Sustainable Development Protection Plan, particularly with the current application of Nagami for a Minahan ng Bayan.

But some members of Mamasansisu who requested not to be named said they would rather mine their areas than give Nagami consent.

Read full article @ www.mindanews.com