"They are the same people who destroyed the environment," pointing to Marinduque mining executives who abandoned and mutilated the mining project after its decade-long operation.
Fr. Vic Tiam, parish priest of Solano town, cited the Marinduque tragedy as a vivid example of what will happen to the environment of Nueva Vizcaya once the large-scale mining activity starts.
"These projects is seemingly pro-poor but eventually will become ‘anti-poor, anti-people, anti-environment and anti-development,’" said the priest who earlier criticized the Nueva Vizcaya Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) for unanimously endorsing the project.
"I don’t believe the proponents really care for our environment. They will destroy or environment and later abandon after they are finished with us, it is like a hit-and-run," said the priest over a Catholic-run radio station.
Marinduque filed a landmark suit before the District Court of Clark Country, Nevada, seeking for more than $100 million in damages against multinational mining giant Placer Dome Inc. for decades of alleged destructive mining on the island.
The Marinduque provincial government holds Placer Dome responsible for decades of reported destructive mining on the island.
The suit seeks funds for the following: Clean up and rehabilitation of polluted lands, rivers, coastal shores and bays; compensation for economic damages including lost property and livelihoods; damages for causing health problems now and in the future, and; the repair of deteriorating mine structures holding back tons of mine waste that pose imminent threat to downstream communities and the environment.
The Catholic Church led by the Diocese of Bayombong and the Church-based Social Action Commission as well as the Didipio Earth Savers Multipurpose Association and the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center-Kasama and other anti-mining groups here recently hold rally in front of the SP denouncing the provincial board’s endorsement of the project.
In defending their decision, Vice Gov. Jose Gambito said that anti-mining groups should not condemn the SP simply because they have a different opinion. "We voted for the project based on out conscience and convictions that it would benefit us all, especially the marginalized sectors of the community," Gambito said.
"We mourn the death of our livelihood this early, especially if the project will push through," said Kasibu Vice Mayor Romeo Aliguyon, presiding officer of the Kasibu council which rejected the entry of the gold-copper project in their town last Aug. 8.
According to Arimico Mining Corp., the mining project is expected to generate R2.9 billion yearly revenue for the next 15 years. The deposit is said to have a big recoverable deposit of gold and copper.
