Human Rights Online Philippines

MindaNews » UCCP joins call to end mining.

By Erwin Mascariñas, Minda News
March 3, 2012

MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews/02 March) – Forty leaders of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) from different parts of Mindanao have declared their full support to calls for an end to mining.

UCCP pastors and church workers from Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, Lanao and Zamboanga issued the statement during the conference on mining and its effects last February 27–29 in Iponan, Cagayan de Oro City.

The statement was based on the stand of the Ecumenical Bishops Forum that “destructive mining is blatantly unethical, unjust, and senseless for it exacerbates poverty, causes dislocation of livelihood of the people, and even threatens the base of life and life itself.”

“For decades already, we have spent time providing awareness to our communities through basic ecology seminars, tree planting etc. but why is it that disasters haven’t been halted? Clearly, because while we promote environmental protection, the government’ laws and policies allow the wanton destruction of the environment like the passage of the Mining Act of 1995,” said Bishop Melzar Labuntog, UCCP head of church for Northwestern Mindanao, in his Biblico-theological reflection.

The gathering unanimously called for the passage of HB 4315 or the Peoples’ Mining Bill which is seen as a solution to the ecological problems caused by both small- and large-scale mining.

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