New Zealander battles mining companies in Philippines

Paul Finlayson is campaigning to preserve the mountainous Midsalip region.

Though campaigners are pleased that Prime Minister Helen Clark raised human rights issues with Philippines president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo during a brief visit to the country earlier this month, the fight goes on against the mining companies accused of some of the abuses. New Zealander Paul Finlayson is at the centre of the protests in one remote area.

Philippines villagers who oppose international mining companies' plans to move into their region are pinning their hopes for the future on a campaign led by a New Zealander.

Paul Finlayson, a Catholic priest who has lived in the country for more than 30 years, is organising the protests against the mining projects, which opponents say threaten the environment and local people's health.

Mining and logging companies have long been the target of activists in the country, who say they are responsible for the destruction of the way of life and wellbeing of indigenous people.

The small, mountainous Midsalip area of Zamboanga del Sur in the south of the Philippines is the latest region to be targeted, with Finlayson saying 27 of the 33 villages there are set to be consumed by mining projects if they are given the go ahead. Around 6000 people stand to be affected.

The area is sacred to the Subaanen people, who rely on rainfall on the Mt Pinukis Range for their rice crops. They fear that mining in the hills will cause pollution, making the water unfit for drinking and irrigation.

The outlook appears bleak after Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes, speaking at an international mining conference in Cape Town in February, offered multi-national companies nine million hectares of mineral-rich land in the Philippines.

With Catholicism the main religion in the country, practised by eight in ten of the population, the church is at the forefront of the campaign against further development.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines issued a statement in January again calling for the repeal of the Mining Act of 1995, which opponents say gives carte blanche to foreign companies to destroy areas for their own gain.

The Bishops said: "The promised economic benefits of mining by these transnational corporations is outweighed by the dislocation of communities, especially among our indigenous brothers and sisters, the risk to health and livelihood and massive environmental damage."

Scepticism

Finlayson added his own scepticism at the promised benefits to local people presented by the companies and the Philippines government.

He told nzherald.co.nz: "The companies applying in Midsalip have promised money, jobs, roads, infrastructure, forestation projects, hospitals, schools, free water and electricity, and most of all that large scale mining is sustainable and environmentally-friendly.

"Experiences today in the country would suggest that these are basically promises to be broken."

Improper disposal of mine wastes is a key concern, with thousands of tonnes of mine tailings finding their way into rivers, lakes and irrigation systems every day. The amount of water used for mining also has a major impact on communities that rely on farming and fishing, destroying their livelihoods and forcing them to move, activists say.

The companies and the government insist, however, that environmental concerns are paramount. Reyes, offering overseas companies the prospect of US$8 billion worth of projects at the Cape Town conference, was careful to mention the issue and to recognise that mining was not without critics.

"As we invite you to the Philippines, we also expect the same environmental and safety standards that you apply when you responsibly mine in your own countries," he said.

And one of the mining companies, TVI Resources Development Phils Inc, which has submitted plans to mine for gold, silver and copper in more than 8000 hectares of land in Midsalip, says on its website that "environmental protection" and "compassion" are central to the way it operates.

It highlights moves towards reforestation and taking action to meet international standards on tailings, as well as saying it provides a health clinic and new settlements for indigenous people.

Finlayson and fellow opponents are not so sure. Last month he held a meeting attended by around 100 representatives of the church and other groups which sent a joint letter condemning the plans to President Arroyo, Reyes and local officials. They have yet to receive a reply, which he says is no surprise.

Another meeting was held last week and the campaigners are set for the long haul. Finlayson says: "Midsalip had a picket against loggers in 1988 in which they blockaded the road for six months to stop loggers. Maybe this will be an even greater challenge."