IN HIS third State of the Nation Address, President Duterte made clear the government’s policy in the utilization of our natural resources – the protection of the environment must be top priority and extracted resources must be used for the benefit of the Filipino people, not just a select few.
To the players in the mining industry, he said, “Do not destroy the environment or compromise our resources; repair what you have mismanaged…I expect you to do your part in ensuring our nation’s sustainable development, starting now…Uphold the concept of inter-generational responsibility in [the exploration] and utilization of our mineral wealth, the protection and preservation of our biodiversity, anchored on the right to a balanced and healthy ecology.”
Let us be clear: the government is not totally against mining. It is for responsible mining. What the President espouses is social justice. And in the context of the mining industry, social justice means the mineral resources of the country must necessarily be enjoyed by Filipinos first and foremost. Former Environment secretary Gina Lopez had said the present mining law allows “foreign companies to take the country’s minerals away almost for free.”
The truth is, any mining policy that sustains the current liberalized and foreign-dominated mining industry will not serve the interests of Filipinos. The main and bigger issue is the protection of our national patrimony, sovereignty and real economic development over the interest of big foreign and exploitative businesses.
A more responsive mining law should re-channel the mining industry towards genuine sustainable development. Real change can only be effected if we have a mining policy that decisively re-orients the current destructive, lopsided and export-oriented character of the present mining industry.
For years, liberalized mining have devastated our lands, sown division and disunity and worsened poverty. Our quest for a new mining policy should change the current situation wherein mining-affected communities are always at the losing end. Any new mining policy should benefit the people and protect the environment.
