SPARKS FLY AT PHL MINING FORUM
[PHOTO
- Tourists cross the hanging bridge at Lignon Hills in Legazpi City,
Albay. The bridge is one of the newest attractions for tourists and adventure
seekers this summer. EDD GUMBAN]
MANILA,
MARCH 3, 2012 (PHILSTAR) It's
official – summer's here.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services
Administration (PAGASA) warned yesterday the public of hotter days ahead due to
the prevalence of easterly wind.
"The associated weather condition will be generally warm and sunny in most
parts of the country aside from isolated to scattered afternoon rainshowers and
thunderstorms particularly over the eastern section of Visayas and Mindanao,"
PAGASA said.
The weather bureau announced the official onset of the dry season on Thursday
evening, just a few hours after it declared that summer has not yet set in, with
the termination of the northeast monsoon also known as hanging amihan.
PAGASA said the emergence of the ridge of high pressure area over Luzon
shifted the wind direction from northeasterly to easterly or southeasterly and
the gradual increase of maximum temperature recorded daily signifies the
recession of the northeast monsoon.
The weather bureau said strong easterly wind - associated with moderate to
rough coastal waters - might prevail over some parts of the Philippines
particularly over the eastern section due to the prevailing La Niña phenomenon.
PAGASA warned the public against heat stroke and skin diseases, such as
sunburn, which are prevalent during the summer season.
Health specialists and weathermen advised Filipinos to wear light clothing,
hats and apply sun block for protection against harmful ultraviolet rays of the
sun.
PAGASA earlier warned Filipinos, particularly in Eastern Visayas and
Mindanao, of a wet summer due to the La Niña event.
The agency said La Niña is likely to terminate by March or April. However,
there is a lag time of three or four months, meaning its effects would still be
felt after it reaches a neutral condition.
Sparks fly at mining meet By Louella D. Desiderio
(The Philippine Star) Updated March 03, 2012 12:00 AM
[PHOTO - Industrialist Manny V. Pangilinan is shown with
environmental advocate Gina Lopez during a mining forum at InterContinental
Manila in Makati City yesterday.]
MANILA, Philippines - Environmental advocate Regina Paz "Gina" Lopez called
mining groups liars, while industrialist Manuel V. Pangilinan, whose vast
conglomerate includes Philex Mining, grabbed a microphone and stood up at one
point to tell her, "Now you're lying."
Sparks flew at an afternoon forum at InterContinental Manila in Makati City
yesterday among miners, anti-mining groups and stakeholders.
Lopez, managing director of the ABS-CBN Foundation and a scion of the clan
that owns or has significant shares in the ABS-CBN network and the Manila
Electric Co. (Meralco), came out swinging against the environmental destruction
caused by mining. She was booed briefly after she bristled over a reminder that
her family is also engaged in extractive activities for energy particularly in
natural gas.
She claimed mining communities were among the poorest in the country – a
point disputed by members of the Chamber of Mines.
Lopez, convenor of the Save Palawan Movement, talked about the damage that
mining has done in various biodiverse provinces in the country.
She also dismissed the alleged benefits to surrounding communities where
mining companies operate, saying the poorest areas in the country are mining
areas.
"I'm not against the whole mining industry. My stand is, in an island
ecosystem, whether large-scale or small-scale, mining is grossly irresponsible,"
she told the conference.
She offered eco-tourism as an alternative to mining.
"We can get our people out of poverty if we invest in our ecosystem. Why
don't we rather invest in our islands?"
Earlier, Pangilinan said in his speech that while there are alternative uses
for mineral lands such as tourism and agriculture, most of the lands being mined
lack the features to make such uses work.
He said Lopez was lying after the latter claimed that the businessman had
called ugly all sites that are being mined.
"You can't make a statement that all the sites that are going to be mined are
ugly anyway," Lopez told Pangilinan.
Pangilinan said tourism was certainly an option to consider although most
mining sites are not ideal for tourism.
He cited that the Pacdal mine of Philex in Benguet province is located in an
area that does not have the features of an attractive tourist site.
"And even if tourism were possible, we must ask: are the expected returns
from tourism comparable to benefits which mining can provide?" he said.
He said that while lands can also be used for agriculture, most mines are
situated in areas not hospitable to farming.
"The land is often too steep, too arid or too mineralized for agriculture to
prosper," he said.
Different opinion
Chamber of Mines of the Philippines director Gerard Brimo was quick to defend
the mining sector, saying large-scale miners exert effort to rehabilitate the
areas they mine.
The barren lands cited by Lopez were not caused by mining, he said, arguing
they have been that way due to the presence of minerals that prevent the growth
of trees.
"Gina, I love you, too. But you don't know what you're talking about," said
Brimo, president and chief executive officer of Nickel Asia Corp.
He blamed the destruction on illegal small-scale mining operations.
"Let's look at the face of small-scale mining. There was P43 billion worth of
gold sold to the central bank. There is child labor, there are no taxes. Why the
attack on large-scale? On mining and food security, there's a misconception," he
said.
"Poverty is misconstrued. This includes small-scale areas, these are not the
legitimate large-scale mines," he added.
Peter Wallace, president of the Wallace Business Forum, meantime, said mining
should not be totally banned because it can help the country's economy.
"Mining is unavoidable. The answer I believe is to control mining, banning
everything that never works. Do the least possible damage, support local
community, rehabilitate land during mining and at the end of it," he said.
Firms want 50-50 profit-sharing
Chamber of Mines of the Philippines president Benjamin Phillip Romualdez said
mining firms support a 50-50 profit-sharing scheme from mining operations
because it will benefit both parties, instead of the government's plan to
declare all areas being mined as mineral reservations.
"We are open to profit-sharing with the government but the five percent
royalty, we hope the government will reconsider it," he said.
The declaration of all areas being mined as mineral reservations will require
all mining firms to remit a five percent royalty on top of the two percent
excise tax collected from the gross sales of production from the mine site.
He said miners oppose the plan because having to pay the five percent royalty
would hurt miners once metal prices sag.
Pangilinan shared the same view, saying it is a more equitable arrangement
since metal prices are unpredictable and depend on the world market.
He said that while mining can provide economic benefits given the rising
demand for minerals from other countries, unfortunate accidents in the past and
mistakes committed by some players are leading to a perception that mining is
dangerous and destructive.
He said concerns raised about mining such as health-related and safety
issues, exploitation of child workers as well as the absence of post-mining
rehabilitation, are largely due to small-scale miners, which operate freely and
are not required to implement environment programs or follow specific standards.
Large-scale miners, on the other hand, he said, are required to put
post-rehabilitation programs in place.
"The solution is to subject small-scale miners to the same regulations and
sanctions for large-scale mining," he said.
Brimo said large-scale miners are mining responsibly as they have put in
place post-rehabilitation programs such as reforestation of areas that have been
mined.
"Mining rehabilitation is a requirement… The mining sector has planted 15
million trees even before the National Greening Program (NGP)," he said.
The NGP was created by Executive Order 26 and seeks to harmonize all the
greening efforts in the country. It aims to plant 1.5 billion tree seedlings in
1.5 million hectares nationwide from last year until 2016.
Brimo also said that while miners may apply for permits to mine specific
areas, the government does not allow mining in protected areas.
Mark Williams, general manager of Sagittarius Mines Inc., which is behind the
massive Tampakan copper-gold project in Mindanao, said in the same event they
have already planted 6,600 tree seedlings even if it has not started mining
operations yet.
"With regard to virgin forests, it is clear that virgin forests will not be
touched for our operations," he said.
Palace all eyes on the issue
The mining debate comes ahead of the government's release of a comprehensive
mining policy.
Malacañang was supposed to release an executive order laying down new
guidelines for the mining industry in February, but deferred it pending more
consultations to ensure acceptability to stakeholders.
In yesterday's forum, Mines and Geosciences Bureau Director Leo Jasareno said
the government is very much aware of the many issues hounding the industry and
is doing all it can to address them.
"This is the main reason why a mining study group was created and tasked to
formulate the mining policy and address the environmental and social issues and
come up with a socially acceptable mining in the country," Jasareno said.
He emphasized that "mining should significantly contribute to economic growth
in a manner that mitigates the impact to the environment and improves the
quality of life of the people or no mining at all."
FROM ABS-CBN
'Govt studying various models for new mining policy'
by Willard Cheng, ABS-CBN News
The government earlier assured investors that existing mining
contracts will be honored and respected.
MANILA, Philippines - The government is studying "various models" in
crafting its mining policy so it can address the concerns of different
stakeholders, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima said Thursday.
"We are looking at various models, alternatives, in the hope that this can be
done so that all the interests of the different sectors are addressed," he said.
Purisima said that existing mining contracts would be "honored and
respected."
He said that the government cancelled the mining permits of those who "were
sitting on it, who were really not interested in mining, but were interested in
making money out of the rights that they were able to acquire."
"The thrust of the changes are for new ventures that are going to be started.
I believe, at least from where we sit at the Department of Finance, existing
operations and contracts will have to be honored and respected. But beyond the
existing mining operations, there are so many mining opportunities in the
country."
"The Philippines wants to attract the real mining operators who are going to
put to bed their capital, their management expertise and their technology in
developing the mineral resources of the country," he said.
Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE
NEWS ONLINE
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