Human Rights Online Philippines

Alyansa Tigil Mina fully supports Senate Resolution No. 989 proposed by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, which calls upon the appropriate Senate Committee to conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, into recent widespread reports of adverse effects of mining and quarrying activities in the country.

“We welcome the proposed Senate Resolution as there are numerous reports involving human rights violations, legal violations and environmental damages brought about by mining and quarrying activities,” said Jaybee Garganera, ATM National Coordinator. “Senator Hontiveros’ proposal is a step in the right direction, which would hopefully result in amending our laws and policies on mining and quarrying.”

Garganera further recommended a dialogue between the affected communities, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and other related agencies to address the concerns of the communities and determine the extent of the negative impacts of mining and quarrying operations.

“Along with mining-affected communities, we have been strongly opposing mining and quarrying activities considering their adverse impacts on the environment and in the sites of struggles. We hope that an investigation into the effects of these operations would eventually dissuade the national government from aggressively pursuing mining,” he said.

“We also hope that an alternative minerals management bill would instead be legislated in order to rationalize mining and the use of minerals in the country. There is an urgent need to repeal RA 7942 or the Mining Act of the Philippines and replace it with a law that is responsive to the needs and concerns of the affected communities,” Garganera concluded.