DIDIPIO COMMUNITY FILES CASE AGAINST DENR & Mining Companies
DIDIPIO
COMMUNITY FILES CASE AGAINST DENR & Mining Companies
Northern Luzon
Bishops hold a Thanksgiving Mass to support the
Community’s Action
March 8, 2006
Philippines
: Bayombong,
Nueva Vizcaya Regional Trial Court:
The Community of Baranggay Didipio,
Kasibu Nueva Vizcaya filed a Petition for Mandamus against the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources and Climax Arimco Mining Corporation (CAMC),
and its transferee Australasian Philippines Mining Incorporated (APMI) to force
the agency to cancel the environmental compliance certificate (ECC) issued to Climax
Arimco/ Australasian Philippines Mining Inc. (CAMC/APMI) and prevent the
implementation of an invalid Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC).
The Environmental Compliance
Certificate and the Financial Technical Assistance Agreement (FTAA) issued to
CAMC are conditioned on the local government consent requirement under sections 26 and 27 of the Republic Act
7160 or the Local Government Code of
the
Philippines
.
Under the law, CAMC/APMI should have obtained the consent of the Barangay,
Municipal and Provincial councils as precondition to their mining operation.
Both the Barangay and Municipal councils have already registered their
opposition to the Didipio Gold/Copper mining project. “Accordingly, the failure
to fulfill the local government consent requirement has rendered invalid the
ECC of CAMC/APMI and therefore, any mining operation that will be commenced in
the area will be illegal”, said Atty. Mary Ann Dela Pena –Regional Lawyer
LRC-KSK/Friends of the Earth –
Philippines
.
On
August 8, 2005
, the municipal council of Kasibu,
Nueva
Vizcaya
,
Philippines
resolved NOT TO ENDORSE the Didipio
Gold-Copper Mining Project of CAMC/APMI.
Despite demands to DENR and its
attached agencies to enforce the Ministerial cancellation of the ECC, no response
has been given. Hence, a Petition for Mandamus is being filed to compel the
DENR to issue a cancellation of the subject ECC.
This case represents the right of
local government units to determine their own development applicable within their
boundaries to suit the specific circumstances of their local economic, social
and environmental situations, while maintaining consistency with overall
regional objectives of sustainable development. It also asserts the local
government’s responsibility to prevent any projects which they deem to have
potential social and environmental impacts from operating within the areas
under their jurisdiction. “Large Scale Mining
in the
Philippines
has never in its history proven to be a sustainable enterprise.
In the past hundred years the country has been host to numerous mine spills and
other environmental disasters not to mention the associated social ills mining
brings to their host communities.” –JP
Alipio Luzon Campaigner LRC-KSK/Friends of the Earth –
Philippines
In line with this activity the
Bishops of Northern Luzon led by Bishop Ramon Villena of Nueva Vizcaya and
participated in by Bishop Sergio Utleg, of the Diocese of Ilagan, and Bishop
Jun Andaya of the Diocese of Tabuk will be holding a thanksgiving mass at the
Cathedral of Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya to support the Didipio community’s
campaign against Climax Arimco/Australasian Philippines Mining Inc. The
thanksgiving mass will be attended by the members of the Didipio community
together with the Municipal officials of Kasibu and other advocates against
large scale corporate mining in Nueva Vizcaya.
For inquiries or requests for
interviews with the community members, Bishops, DSAC, or Lawyers of
LRC-KSK/Friends of the Earth –
Philippines
please get in touch with:
JP Alipio
Luzon
Campaigns
LRC-KSK/Friends of the Earth –
Philippines
87- Madasalin St. Teachers Village,
Q.C.
Tel: 434-4079
Email: jpalipio@yahoo.com
LRC-KSK/Friends of the Earth –
Philippines
Email: lrc.friendsoftheearth@gmail.com
To know more
about the Didipio campaign, please visit http://didipio.blogs.friendster.com/didipio_campaign/
