Letter from Baguio City
To Whom This May Concern:
It has been
known for so long now that the effects of large-scale mining
(especially after operation) to communities where it is based are not
really good. In the Cordillera, where a lot of large-scale mines have
been brought up, where one is still in operation while the others has
long ended its operation, we have witnessed the
vast devastating effects that they’ve brought. Yet, not only in the
Cordilleras, we have also seen the cases of other mines in other parts
of the Philippines, like in Compostela Valley and Mindoro, where they
have cost a lot of lives, FILIPINO lives.
known for so long now that the effects of large-scale mining
(especially after operation) to communities where it is based are not
really good. In the Cordillera, where a lot of large-scale mines have
been brought up, where one is still in operation while the others has
long ended its operation, we have witnessed the
vast devastating effects that they’ve brought. Yet, not only in the
Cordilleras, we have also seen the cases of other mines in other parts
of the Philippines, like in Compostela Valley and Mindoro, where they
have cost a lot of lives, FILIPINO lives.
Last
October 18-20 of 2005, with four other companions, we went a long way
from Baguio City to visit Didipio in Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya. And, during
our short stay in the community, we’ve heard a lot of the peoples’
sentiments. That, with a life-long sustaining agriculture in terms of
their sweet citrus products, the Didipio people stands firm in opposing
the construction and operation of the multi-national Australian mining
company.
October 18-20 of 2005, with four other companions, we went a long way
from Baguio City to visit Didipio in Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya. And, during
our short stay in the community, we’ve heard a lot of the peoples’
sentiments. That, with a life-long sustaining agriculture in terms of
their sweet citrus products, the Didipio people stands firm in opposing
the construction and operation of the multi-national Australian mining
company.
Considering
that, with a mining company in the community, indeed, the people will
have a better economy, yet this will be short-lived. Since, the
company’s operation will eventually end up when they’ve extracted all
the minerals of the area and leave it with nothing but ruins. It will
take decades, and maybe centuries, for the area to regain back the
natural resources that they’ve lost during the company’s operation.
Furthermore, it’ll leave the community with a broken economy and with
nothing to get back to.
that, with a mining company in the community, indeed, the people will
have a better economy, yet this will be short-lived. Since, the
company’s operation will eventually end up when they’ve extracted all
the minerals of the area and leave it with nothing but ruins. It will
take decades, and maybe centuries, for the area to regain back the
natural resources that they’ve lost during the company’s operation.
Furthermore, it’ll leave the community with a broken economy and with
nothing to get back to.
Thus, the Didipio community says NO TO LARGE-SCALE MINING and YES TO CITRUS INDUSTRY.
When
we came back to Baguio City, we left the Didipio people with
our support to their struggles and hopes and wishes that if God permits
us to go back there, we would still be able to come back to a small
paradise with lots of citrus plants and warm and very accomodating
people.
we came back to Baguio City, we left the Didipio people with
our support to their struggles and hopes and wishes that if God permits
us to go back there, we would still be able to come back to a small
paradise with lots of citrus plants and warm and very accomodating
people.
With
this, i hope, you reader would support the Didipio struggle and affix
your name and contact detail/s at the end of this letter. You need not
be an anti-(large-scale)-mining advocate or environmentalist to do so.
this, i hope, you reader would support the Didipio struggle and affix
your name and contact detail/s at the end of this letter. You need not
be an anti-(large-scale)-mining advocate or environmentalist to do so.
Blandina M. Kalang-ad
351 Upper Pinget, Baguio City
January 31st, 2006 at 2:34 am
HI, i wish to express my respect to your views against mining. obviously i am not an anti-mining person, i am a simple government employee in the office of the president assigned to help in the minerals development council, a body composed of several government department that will take care of the issues regarding mining activities around the country. i am glad to hear comments from you guys and this will surely guide me in pursuing the government’s effort to promote responsible mining in the country taking in consideration all your comments and suggestions. i know and i understand how it feels to fight for a cause for i myself as a former seminarian do the same thing in the past. our emotions will surely affect our decisions in any struggle and therefore suggest if we can share views not on the level of emotions but on issues and facts. i look forward to a more fruitful sharing of ideas regarding this issues which we all plays a vital part in history. god bless us