Public hearing on the mining issues in Cantilan should be held in Cantilan not in Claver or Taganito– Civil Society groups

Civil Society groups in Cantilan, Surigao Del are exclaiming that the public dialogue to discuss the mining issues in Cantilan should be held in their municipality, contrary to reports that it will be merged with the hearing in Claver, Surigao del Norte.

“It is important that the involved government authorities should be able to listen to our concerns. How are we supposed to tell them our stand on this if this will be held in other municipality? It will entail so much resources for the people in Cantilan to go to Claver or in other towns?” said Emma Hotchkiss, president of Carrascal, Cantilan, Madrid, Carmen, Lanuza (CCMCL) Baywatch Foundation.

In the protest letter addressed to Cong. Francisco T. Matugas, chairman of the Natural Resources Committee in the lower house last March 21, the groups expressed that the circumstances of the mining issues in Cantilan are totally different from the mining issues in Claver.

Watershed in danger

Specifically, the groups said that the operation of Marcventures Mining and Development Corporation (MMDC) within the watersheds of Cantilan needs an immediate investigation. Emma Hotchkiss elaborated in the letter, “The Congressional Committee on Natural Resources could not possibly assess the impact of the mining site without conducting an actual ocular inspection of the area.”

The groups also further explained that, “The stakeholders in the Municipality of Cantilan should be able to participate in and express their opposition to the mining operation of MMDC within the watersheds of Cantilan which is being threatened by the said mining activities of MMDC.”

Contentious Public Hearing

The groups are questioning the implementation of CARAGA public hearing last March 22 to 24, wherein none of their networks or even among the stakeholders in Cantilan was invited to attend in the dialogue, except for the Mayor, who also declined his participation. The groups are dubious that the invitation for the Mayor only arrived on the afternoon on March 21, 2012.

Adding more in the disappointment of the group is the non-inclusion of the Dialogue with Stakeholders and Inspection of MMDC Mining Site in the said public hearing wherein such agenda had been agreed to be accomplished by the committee way back October 2011.

Jaybee Garganera, national coordinator of Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM) said, “This indeterminate action to seclude the people in Cantilan in the public hearing about the issue that greatly affect them is a grave violation to their rights for participation. NatRes Committee Chair Matugas should reconsider the proposal of the civil society group and set a new public hearing right in the land of Cantilan and not in other localities.”

Garganera also added that the committee should show no partially in this case and must always uphold the right of the people.

Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM) is an alliance of mining-affected communities and their support groups of NGOs/POs and other civil society organizations who are opposing the aggressive promotion of large-scale mining in the Philippines. The organization is currently pushing for a moratorium on mining, revocation of Executive Order 270-A, repeal of the Mining Act of 1995 and the passage of the Philippine Mineral Resources Act a.k.a. Alternative Minerals Management Bill.

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For more information:
Jaybee Garganera, ATM National Coordinator, (0927) 761.76.02 <nc@alyansatigilmina.net>
Farah Sevilla, ATM Policy Research & Advocacy Officer, (0915) 331.33.61 <policy@alyansatigilmina.net>

Press Release
March 26, 2012