Groups hold indignation rally in Mendiola vs. P-Noy’s silence on Tampakan Project

Manila – Worried, angry and determined, about 500 anti-mining protesters invaded Mendiola yesterday after President Aquino remained silent on their appeal to drop the Tampakan mining project in South Cotabato referred to by them as the “world’s most dangerous mining project.”

Jaybee Garganera, national coordinator of Alyansa Tigil Mina said that the president’s non-commitment to ditch the project may also mean that anytime soon the government will approve the appeal of Sagittarius Mines Inc. (SMI) to acquire an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) for the said project.

“But we cannot just let it happen especially at this time that we are witnessing how the ‘poster boy’ of responsible mining, Padcal mining in Benguet bares itself as another tragedy that the country have to face,” Garganera added.

Environmental groups, members of indigenous communities and anti-mining campaigners in Metro Manila took part in the rally and marched on the street of Morayta chanting that ‘Tampakan is a disaster waiting to happen.’

Last August, two bishops in Mindanao and several environmental groups in the country sent a letter to the president outlining the reasons why the Tampakan project should be discarded immediately.

“For a project as deadly as the Tampakan project, one month of waiting for its cancellation is very long already,” said award-winning environmental activist and priest, Fr. Edwin Gariguez, of the social arm of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

“If the president thinks that we will laud this multi-billion investment, no! The disaster it may bring to our people may cost even more than that,” Gariguez added.

Bishop Dinualdo D. Gutirrez, DD, bishop of the Diocese of the Diocese of Marbel which covers the provinces of South Cotabato, Saranagani and parts of Sultan Kudarat reaffirmed the stand of CBCP that open-pit mining, the method that will be used by SMI in the Tampakan project, should be banned in the country as it is very destructive to the environment.

Alyansa Tigil Mina 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 alliance is currently pushing for a moratorium on mining, revocation of Executive Order 270-A, repeal of the Mining Act of 1995 and passage of the AMMB. (30)

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For more information:
Fr Edu Gariguez, CBCP-NASSA Executive Secretary, edugariguez@gmail.com, 0922-8348248
Jaybee Garganera, ATM national coordinator, nc@alyansatigilmina.net; 0927-7617602
Farah Sevilla, ATM policy and advocacy officer, policy@alyansatigilmina.net; 0915-3313361
Edel S. Garingan – communications@alyansatigilmina.net; 0922-8918972

ATM Press Release
Sept. 21, 2012

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