DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/21 May) – Small-scale miners in Pantukan town will stage another barricade this week if municipal and provincial officials do not act on the demands raised during the barricade at Kingking Bridge Thursday last week in Compostela Valley, Juland Suazo, spokesperson of the environment group, Panalipdan, said.
Among the demands is the revocation of a barangay resolution endorsing the mining project of the Nationwide Development Corporation (Nadecor), claiming this is detrimental to the environment and livelihood of residents of Pantukan and would displace small-scale miners operating in the area, Juland Suazo, spokesperson of the environment group, Panalipdan, said.
Compostela Governor Arturo Uy told MindaNews in a text message Monday that he had informed RobertoYugo, the barangay captain of Kingking, to have the resolution revoked.
“He should revoke that because that is contrary to our firm policy that the small-scale miners should not be displaced,” Uy said.
MindaNews sought Yugo for comment Monday morning. A text message seeking permission to call him on the barangay resolution issue went unanswered. Another text message was sent in the afternoon asking him to comment on the revocation but as of 4 p.m. Monday, he had yet to reply.
Hundreds of small-scale miners barricaded the bridge on May 17, effectively paralyzing transport between Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental from mid-morning to mid-afternoon. The protest action triggered immediate response from officials who, protesters said, had been ignoring their earlier appeals to be heard.
Belen Galleto, spokesperson of Save Pantukan Movement told MindaNews during the barricade that they had earlier camped out in front of the municipal hall, reiterating their opposition to open pit mining, the entry of large-scale and foreign mining firms, and the resolution of the barangay council of Kingking endorsing the operations of Nadecor.
On May 16, the Save Pantukan Movement sent a petition to Mayor Celso Sarenas, Vice Mayor Hajarah Ranain, Kingking barangay captain Roberto Yugo, Environment regional director Jim Sampulna, Mines regional director Edilberto Arreza, opposing Barangay Resolution 13 passed by Barangay Kingking Council on May 8, “supporting the application for a Declaration of Mining Project Feasibility” or DPMF.
“We are deeply dismayed by the moves of our Barangay Officials whom we voted to represent our interests, aspirations and stand but opted to favor the application to operate through open pit mining of NADECOR and St. Augustine Gold and Copper Limited who never voted them,” the petition read.
The petition claimed the barangay had no basis for issuing that resolution for three reasons: that the benefits that can be derived from allowing the mining operations are a pittance but the damages to the environment, livelihood of farmers and small-scale miners are high; that there was “no genuine public consultation” and that the reference in issuing the resolution “was only the presentation of the companies which was not actually a consultation but mere information dissemination;” and that during a public hearing on May 2, majority of those who attended, “loudly registered their opposition to the mining project but the result of the resolution did not reflect the position of the majority during the so-called hearing.”
With thousands of commuters and cargo stranded as a result of the occupation of Kingking bridge, Mayor Sarenas convened a Crisis Committee and sent two negotiators, one of whom was Bong Lantaya, Municipal Planning and Development Officer, who urged the protesters to proceed to the municipal hall, Suazo said.
But the protesters, he said, turned down the invitation, claiming they had camped out at the municipal hall compound but officials ignored them. Suazo said the protesters urged the mayor to heed their demands to ban open pit mining and ensure small-scale miners are not displaced from the minesite.
Suazo said the negotiators left at 1:20 p.m. Thirty minutes later, Mayor Sarenas and Governor o Uy arrived . He recounted that the officials assured the small-scale miners they will not be taken out of the minesite, that even if the municipal and provincial councils endorse the application for a DMPF because there are national laws to follow, they would assure that the area for the small-scale miners be delineated.
Suazo recalled that during the open forum, protesters urged the officials to follow the example of other local government units in opposing large-scale mining.
He said the protesters showed them a copy of Barangay Kingking’s resolution endorsing Nadecor and allowing the small-scale miners up to two years within the proposed Minahan ng Bayan until Nadecor finds a resettlement site for the small-scale miners.
The barricade was lifted at 2:35 p.m. after the Governor promised he would have the barangay resolution revoked. Protesters then proceeded to the office of Nadecor for a symbolic padlocking of its office, Suazo said.
As soon as the resolution is revoked, the application for DMPF should not be approved “due to lack of community acceptance,” he said. (Carolyn O. Arguillas/MindaNews)