On the occasion of Earth Day, Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM) called on the Philippine government to prioritize the legislation of the Alternative Minerals Management Bill (AMMB) and the repeal of the flawed 1995 Mining Act to rationalize mining for national development and ensure environmental protection in mining-affected communities.

Jaybee Garganera, ATM National Coordinator said, “Measures to address the climate crisis and ensure the survival of the planet should include reforms in the government’s policies on large-scale mining. Mining in many communities today is causing environmental degradation, worsening the impacts of climate change, and endangering the lives and livelihoods of the people”.

Garganera said a new law is needed to ensure that the country’s minerals serve the nation’s needs, especially in the shift to renewable energy. “It is unjust that other countries benefit from our minerals while our communities suffer from the destruction caused by mining.”

He further explained that the proposed AMMB would establish no-go zones for mining to protect critical watersheds, key biodiversity areas, climate-disaster-prone areas, prime agricultural lands, and forests. The proposed law would further strengthen indigenous people’s right to self-determination and uphold local community participation in decisions, particularly on mining projects.

“A just energy transition entails replacing the Mining Act with the AMMB. This is a concrete climate action that the government must urgently undertake towards nation-building and the wise and discriminating use of our minerals and natural resources,” Garganera said.

Garganera further called on the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to immediately act in favor of communities resisting destructive mining, and who have set up barricades in Dupax Del Norte, Nueva Vizacaya; Manicani Island and Homonhon Island in Eastern Samar; MacArthur, Leyte; and Sibuyan Island, Romblon.

“These communities are calling for a halt to mining operations and the cancellation of mining contracts in their respective areas. Earth Day is a timely reminder to the DENR to act on the residents’ demands and to make erring mining companies accountable for their violations and breaches,” Garganera concluded.

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