IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature

THE SOCIETY OF ST. COLUMBAN

Former UK Minister for International Development, Clare Short MP, will launch a report critical of destructive mining practices in the Philippines at 11am in the Jubilee Room, Westminster Hall (London), on 25th January 2007. A simultaneous launch will be held in Manila, the Philippine capital, at the Auditorium of the St. Thomas Aquinas Research Complex Building, Dapitan Gate, University of Santo Thomas(UST), España, Metro-Manila (7 pm local time). 

Mining in the Philippines has an extremely poor reputation. It has left over 800 abandoned mines littered throughout the countryside, caused massive environmental damage and has been linked to serious human rights abuses. The legacy from abandoned mines and the operation of existing mines continue to negatively affect the livelihoods of many thousands of poor Filipinos. These effects are particularly detrimental to the Philippines indigenous peoples.  Over 800 extrajudicial killings have been reported since 2001. Disturbingly, a number of these killings are believed to be directly linked to protests against mining. The current plans for a major expansion of the mining industry will seriously exacerbate all of these problems.

In July/August 2006, Clare Short, the MP for Birmingham Ladywood led a team of human rights and environmental experts on a fact-finding visit to the Philippines in order to examine the impact of mining on the environment and people’s livelihoods.  In her Foreword to the Report she says she was “deeply shocked by tthe Philippines and the mining companies have failed to comply with national law and international standards”.  Solidarity with and admiration for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) is expressed for their public opposition to the country’s 1995 Mining Act and plans for a massive expansion of mining.

The full 66-page report, ‘Mining in the Philippines - Concerns and Conflicts’, catalogues the findings of the team, and makes recommendations to a number of parties to improve the situation. The report was produced by representatives of the Society of St. Columban, the IUCN Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy (CEESP), the Irish Centre for Human Rights (ICHR) and the Philippine Indigenous Peoples Links (PIPlinks).

Clare Short MP will chair the launch on January 25 in London. All members of the fact-finding team will be available. Copies of the full Report will be available.

Some key recommendations from the report include:

• The Philippine government should demonstrate that it is willing to adhere to its own laws and to international mining best practice and standards by immediately canceling all current mining applications that will inevitably cause major environmental damage to critical watersheds, eco-systems, agriculture or fisheries and result in social disruption, such as those in Midsalip and Mindanao visited by the team.

• The Philippine government should heed the calls to revoke the Mining Act of 1995 and enact alternative legislation that more effectively protects the interests of the affected local communities, indigenous peoples and the environment.

• The World Bank Group should uphold its mandate to help reduce world poverty and protect the environment by halting its promotion and support for mining expansion in the Philippines under current conditions.

• The Investment and Banking community including the Export Credit Agencies should not risk their reputations by investing in any mining companies operating in the Philippines until the Philippine Government stops the human rights violations and environmental damage currently associated with the mining sector. All mining projects should be inspected by reputable independent organisations before investment. Controls to ensure compliance with national laws and international mining standards must be in place before investment.

• Crew Development Group, a British-based mining company, is urged to remove the Mindoro Nickel Project from the Philippines list of priority mining projects, in view of the potential environmental damage to the water catchment area, agricultural productivity and the marine environment.

Frank Nally, a Catholic priest of the Missionary Society of St. Columban who has long campaigned against corporate logging and mining in the Philippines, was turned away at Manila airport on 6 January when he was entering the country to make the final preparations for the Manila-based report launch. A member of the July/August 2006 fact-finding team and one of the authors of the report, he was told he is prevented from entering the Philippines because he is ‘blacklisted’.

UK contacts:
Ellen Teague, Media Desk, Columban Faith and Justice 0044 (0) 7956 317338
Frank Nally, Solidarity Desk, Columban Faith and Justice 0044 (0) 20 7794 8131
Andy Whitmore, Philippine Indigenous Peoples Links  0044 (0) 775 439 5597
Geoff Nettleton, Philippine Indigenous Peoples Links 0044 (0) 784 027 8367
Clive Wicks, Member of IUCN- CEESP   0044 (0) 1372 452258

Philippines contacts:
Antonio and Javier Claparols. Ecological Society of the Philippines and members of CEESP-IUCN      0063 2 6339626
Jo Villanueva, Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center-Kasama sa Kalikasan (LRC-KsK) - Friends of the Earth, Philippines   0063 919 4111660

A blog of the fact-finding trip can be found at www.philippinesfactfinding.blogspot.com.

The Missionary Society of St. Columban, with headquarters in Ireland, has nearly 600 missionaries of ten nationalities ministering in 14 countries.

CEESP, the IUCN Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy, provides expertise on ways to harmonise biodiversity conservation with the crucial socio-economic and cultural concerns of human communities, such as livelihoods, poverty eradication, development, equity, human and community rights, cultural identity, security and the fair and effective governance of natural resources. Press please note: IUCN Commissions are mandated by their members and Commissions should be referred to by their full titles.

The Irish Centre for Human Rights (ICHR), based at the National University of Ireland, is dedicated to the study and promotion of international human rights and humanitarian law.