Mining industry review sought to avert food supply threats

"Clearly, there is a need to address the loopholes in the regulation and practices of mining companies that operate in the country. We cannot sacrifice our food security for the sake of tapping the potential of an industry that obviously needs further evaluation based on data that we have received today," he said.

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He made this assertion after Marinduque Governor Carmencita Reyes said lead deposits have renderd the Kalangkang River in her province unable to support life. Waste from open-pit mines leached into the river system and caused floods in 1993 and 1996. Reyes also blames the waste for children in the area having trouble concentrating. Some have also developed aplastic anemia, a disease that causes bone marrow failure.

The Save Palawan Movement also said tailings from mines in the province have cut rice production and have contaminated water meant for irrigation. One farmer said production, which used to be at 70 cavans, has been reduced by more than half since mines came to the island.

Lawyer Ronald Residoro, representing industry association Chamber of Mines of the Philippines, argued large-scale mining companies bring hospitals, schools, and roads to communities where they operate. Large-scale mines also help reforestation efforts, the lawyer said. He added hazards to the environment come from small-scale miners and not from members of the chamber.

According to the Mining and Geosciences Bureau, "responsible" mining requires mining firms to maintain sustainable growth, uplift the quality of life of residents near the mines, and to monitor the environmental impact of mines. Residoro said while large-scale companies comply with government regulations, small-scale miners do not.

"I am not against mining per se, but as we saw and heard today, irresponsible mining is a grave threat to our efforts in attaining food security," Pangilinan, who is considering a halt on granting mining permits, said.

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines-National Secretariat on Social Action earlier called for a halt to mining and a repeal of the Mining Act, the law that allows and regulates mining.

In a statement, it said mining trades "the human and ecosystems' well-being, the human rights of the indigenous peoples and the local communities, (and) the food security and ecological integrity of our country" for economic gains. (Jonathan de Santos/Sunnex)

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