ANTI-MINING CAMPAIGN

ANTI-MINING CAMPAIGN

TO MY COLLEGE CLASSMATES IN ATENEO, BATCH MATES, AND SCHOOLMATES.... I'M GOING TO ADD MY NAME TO THIS LETTER (SEE ATTACHMENT BELOW) AGAINST MINING.

IF YOU, TOO, WANT TO ADD YOUR NAME, PLEASE TELL KARL GASPAR <karlgaspar@gmail.com> BY EMAILING HIM YOUR NAME. 

HE'S GOING TO THEN PUBLISH THE LETTER IN SUNSTAR, MINDANEWS, AND SUNSTAR.

THIS IS ASAP!

THANKS,

Jan Elias D. "YanYan Simba ll  

Attachment: 

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ADDU alumni:

Monday (Feb. 20) issue of PDI had a full-page paid ad paid for by the Save Palawan Movement, Alyansa Tigil Mina, CEAP and our dear old alma mater debunking the Philippine Chamber of Mines' claims that mining will attract and bring in more investments, generate millions of jobs, etc. etc.  Perhaps to provide moral support to Fr. Joel Tabora SJ, President of ADDU who has been the leader of this movement, we the alumni in civil society might issue a statement in support of this panawagan entitled - underMINING LIES!  I will be sending this statement to all groups, agencies and institutions where there are ADDU alumni so we can have as many alumni to sign this statement and have it released within the week.

I propose the short statement below and if you are in agreement, would you kindly indicate that you are and that your name will appear in the statement that I will then send to Mindanews, SunStar, even the PDI.

Karl

______________________

STATEMENT OF ADDU ALUMNI ENGAGED IN CIVIL SOCIETY CONCERNS IN SUPPORT OF ADDU'S STANCE ON MINING

We are a group of graduates of the Ateneo de Davao University who - for many years now - have been engaged in social and ecological concerns, with special focus on Mindanao.  Owing to our work in various development agencies we have traversed the various regions in Mindanao and have been in contact with grassroots Lumad and lowland peasant communities.  In the 70s-90s, our main concerns were issues related to land ownership, ancestral domain, human rights violations, poverty and underdevelopment.  Since the 1990s, we have become more interested in pursuing ecological issues as these have become very urgent considering the impact of climate change and the expanding occurrence of man-made calamities. One of these major issues is mining and its implications for both the delicate eco-system of our shared environment and the well-being of Mindanawons, especially the most marginalized.

In monitoring media's coverage of the mining issue, we are greatly disturbed by the manner that The Chamber of Mines of the Philippines (CMP) is mobilizing its huge resources to further reinforce the myths of the great advantages and  that our country and its people will enjoy from mining as well as counter-attack civil society's opposite claims. The myths being perpetuated more and more aggressively by CMP and its allies - including some agencies in both national and local government - include the following: that mining will attract and bring in more investments, large-scale metallic and non-metallic mining can generate millions of jobs, will increase government revenues that can then be used for the poor, and that the mining sector improves the quality of life in host communities while mitigating its impact on the environment.

For a number of years now, many of us have gathered  facts and figures on mining not just in our country but in other countries from various sources and do an analysis to objectively assess the impact of mining. We have consulted with various experts as well as sought their counsel as to what we need to do vis-a-vis the aggressive drive of mining companies in our country.  We have gone on exposure to the countryside where there are mining explorations or actual operations and actually seen for ourselves the impact of mining as we talked with the local communities regarding their experiences in being in communities affected by mining.

This is why we have the audacity to claim that despite some benefits that we can derive from mining, by and large the negative impact will far outweigh the benefits. This is the reason why an increasing number of grassroots communities from the Zamboanga peninsula to the SOCSARGEN area to the Caraga Region have opposed mining.  And thankfully, an increasing number of civil society agencies - from Local Churches to NGOs - have supported them in their struggle to stop mining in their areas if these are still on the exploration stage or to minimize its impact if operations have begun.

It is in this light that we are very much heartened by the statement - underMINING LIES! -  issued by Save Palawan Movement, Alyansa Tigil Mina, the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines and our alma mater,the Ateneo de Davao University,  which appeared recently in many broadsheets.  We are very proud of our alma mater for extending its social capital in support of the people's struggle to oppose indiscriminate mining in our country and in Mindanao today.  This statement expresses our own deepest sentiments regarding mining and our stance re debunking the myths have have been peddled by the CMP in the media today.  We support this coalition's position to "support the draft executive order on mining" as we also reiterate the call for "total economic valuation, additional areas closed toming (prime agricultural lands and eco-tourism zones), review of all existing mining contracts and agreements, suspension of approval of all pe4nding mining applications, measures to increase government revenues in mining and development of downstream industries for the mineral sector".

We call on our fellow alumni who are in government, business and the rest of the private sector to support this call, even as we encourage all Filipinos to be vigilant regarding this issue. Let the truth be told and  let justice guide our actions not just on behalf of our disadvantaged brothers and sisters but for the whole of creation! In the spirit of Lent, let us ask forgiveness for all the trespasses we have committed that has led to sad state of the country and its eco-system. We pray that all may be converted to defend the integrity of God's creation even as we continue to serve the poor in our midst who are the ones who suffer most when ecological calamities strike.

Hinaut pa unta!

(Signed)
- Carlito M. Gaspar CSsR

(who will sign next?)

-         Jan Elias D.  “YanYan” Simba II

* Please copy and send this to Karl Gaspar (karlgaspar@gmail.com)  with your name below to support Anti-Mining Campaign. 

In Light and Love,
YanYan




by: Casper_Cute