25 MINDORO HUNGER STRIKERS NOT GOING HOME YET
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 20:52:00 11/18/2009
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20091118-237059/25-Mindoro-hunger-strikers-not-going-home-yet
MANILA, Philippines—The 25 hunger strikers from Mindoro are not going home just yet.
This despite the order made by Environment Secretary Lito Atienza Wednesday suspending the environmental clearance he issued to Intex Resources to mine 11,216.6 hectares of land in Mindoro, the Alyansa Laban sa Mina (ALAMIN, Alliance Against Mining) said.
Some critical agreements made during the dialogue with Atienza were not contained in the order the former Manila mayor issued after meeting with protesters, the alliance told INQUIRER.net in a text message.
For this reason, the hunger strike of 25 Mindoreños, mostly Mangyans, will continue, the alliance said.
Oriental Mindoro Vice Governor Estela Aceron said the local governments of Mindoro were stressing their opposition to large scale mining on the island.
“We are reiterating our position that mining is not welcome in Mindoro. We expect Secretary Atienza to respect this,” Aceron said.
Oriental Mindoro has passed a 25-year mining moratorium ordinance in 2002 prohibiting the entry of all large-scale mining in the province. In Occidental Mindoro, similar mining moratorium ordinances were passed by the municipal governments of Sablayan, Abra de Ilog, Paluan, Looc and Lubang. Eight out of 11 municipalities in Occidental Mindoro passed a resolution against the mining project.
Aceron, who was with the group that met with Atienza Wednesday afternoon, said the environment chief was in effect admitting he issued the environmental compliance certificate to Intex although the Norwegian firm has yet to comply with all the requirements needed before the mining clearance could be issued.
“I’m disappointed that Secretary Atienza issued the ECC on October 14 even without the required documents at hand,” she said.
She said that during the dialogue Atienza expressed his dismay on learning that there was no prior consultation made with the local governments and the affected communities.
Aceron said that Atienza even agreed that a committee be formed—composed of environment officials and local government executives—to look into the issues raised during the dialogue.
But this is never contained in the order Atienza released later, she said.
“We are really disappointed with his order of suspension. We understand that he is resigning before filing his certificate of candidacy so we want an answer before he leaves the office,” she said.
Atienza has hinted at his comeback bid in Manila politics where he served as mayor from 1998 to 2007.
Local officials on the island of Mindoro had opposed the project saying their sentiments had been disregarded and the issuance of the ECC was “irregular” and violated a moratorium on mining on the island.
They also said it would displace around 20,000 members of indigenous tribes, affect the agricultural output and food security of the island and threaten conservation areas of the Philippine Tamaraw and tourist spots like the popular Puerto Galera beach.
Twenty-five members of indigenous tribes, priests and residents of the island started a hunger strike Tuesday to dramatize their opposition to the project. With Alcuin Papa, Philippine Daily Inquirer
Sec. Lito Atienza: Ignoramus?
The people of Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro were ENRAGE & CONDEMNS DENR Sec. Lito Atienza's IGNORANCE by saying that he never knew what's really happening in the Island of Mindoro relative to his "railroaded" issuance of ECC to Intex Resouces for the Mindoro Nickel Project. People's convention the Brigada Kontra Mina already sent a letter of appeal to the President of the Republic. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo dated October 28, 2008 and received by the Office of the President on Dcemeber 23, 2008, enclosed signatures of more or less a thousand of people of the Municipality of Sablayan who expressed their sentiments against mining in Sablayan and the whole Island of Mindoro, attached also the 25 Year Mining Moratorium of the Municipality! Our letter of appeal was then referred to the Mines & Geoscience Bureau and in response a furnished copy dated April 3, 2009, to the Office of the Secretary of the DENR. How could Secretary Atienza alleged that he never knew whats really happening in the Island of Mindoro, or he just walk away from the truth. From the very beginning the so called environmental impact assessment, consultation of the proponent favored their side, but in a way the very institution created under our Constitution to defend the right and welfare of our people was set aside, for maybe his self interest!
We CONDEMNED Sec. Lito Atienza by not taking notice of the vulnerability of the Island of Mindoro in terms of geohazards, the critical watershed areas within the mining application, the desecration of the indigenous people, the Mangyans and endangering the remaining numbers of endemic Tamaraws! "Ignorance of the law, excuses no one" according to the old adage and our forefathers said "those who have less in life must have more in law"!
We would like to inform Sec. Atienza that the protest rally held in Manila is NOT PREMATURE, we already do it a long ago, where in fact the mining company started to pose threat to our people and the environment we already prepared for the worse, placing the entire municipality in a 25 years mining moratorium.
We vowed to fight for our people and the environmental dangers that await us all, the Island of Mindoro fed most of the people in Metro Manila, we call for the REVOCATION of the ECC!
We CONDEMNED Sec. Lito Atienza's IGNORANCE, and he's not EXCUSE!
REVOKE THE ECC!
Narumbai Tanggolman
Brigada Kontra Mina
Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro
One with you all. I'll never cut my hair nor shave my bears until ECC is revoked! This will be living sign of my prayer and sacrifices for our native island Mindoro.
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