Are we better off with mining? DIANNE JADE B.

REBUTAR

Mining in the Philippines has been known as early as 1521. It is bigger than many would

think given the size of the country. The Philippines is actually the fifth most mineral-rich

country in the world for copper, nickel, gold and chromite. This has been a home to the

largest copper-gold deposit in the world and is said to be the most attractive, after South

Africa and Chile . According to Mines and Geo-sciences Bureau , the country has $840

billion worth of untapped mineral wealth.

As of 2016, there were 236,000 workers in the mining industry and its contribution to

the country’s GDP was 0.6%. Based on these facts, it is undisputable that mining is an

important component of any national economy as it brings hard currency, elicits

investment, and generates jobs for the people

However, the situation in the Philippines is far from ideal. One of its worldwide concerns

is about the care of the environment. Apparently, despite of its economic benefits,

mining is an inherently destructive industry, and the mining effects of even a single

operation can have a severe impact on the environment and the wildlife that lives

nearby. Although there are some regulations that are intended to minimize the damage,

they are not enough to allow mining and wildlife to exist in harmony, especially in cases

where the regulations are difficult to enforce.

The mining industry has the potential to disrupt ecosystems and wipe out wildlife

populations in several different ways. Here’s how mining affects the environment and

wildlife.

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 Are we better off with mining? DIANNE JADE B. REBUTAR

 AIR

Mining has a great effect on the quality of the air. Since mines need to blast through

rock to get to an ore, dust may be produced in the process. Coal mines release

methane, which contributes to environmental issues because it is a greenhouse gas.

Methane is sometimes captured, but only where it is economically feasible to do so.

Some cooling plants may release ozone-depleting substances, but the amount released

is very small. Non-vegetated or uncapped tailings dams release dust, and when

radioactive elements are found in the ore, radiation is emitted. Heavy metals, such as

sulfur dioxide, may be polluted into the air by unsafe smelter operations with insufficient

safeguards. The gold mining industry is one of the most destructive industries in the

world, because of all of the toxins that are released into the air. Acid rain and smog are

also some side effects of mining. Every year, 142 million tons of sulfur dioxide is

emitted into the atmosphere because of smelting. That’s 13% of total global emissions.

 WATER

Mines use a lot of water, though some of the water is reusable. Sulfide, when oxidized

through contact with air via mining, form sulfuric acid. This, when combined with trace

elements, negatively impacts groundwater. This happens from both surface and

underground mines.

Leftover chemical deposits from explosives are usually toxic, and increase the salinity of

mine water, as well as contaminating it. Groundwater can be directly contaminated

through “in situ” mining, in which a solvent seeps into un-mined rock, leaching minerals.

In the extraction of minerals, some toxins (for example cyanide and mercury) are used

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 Are we better off with mining? DIANNE JADE B. REBUTAR

that can permanently pollute the water, making it hard for fishers to find fish. Spills into

oceans and lakes add toxic heavy metals and sulfuric acid into the environment, which

can take years to fix.

 LAND

Trees need to be cut down in order to have a mine built, and whole forests could be

destroyed. Mining involves moving large quantities of rock, and in surface mining,

overburden land impacts are immense. Almost all of the mined ore of non-ferrous

metals becomes waste. A lot of areas are pock marked by thousands of small holes by

people digging in search of precious minerals. Mining activities also may lead to

erosion, which is dangerous for the land. It destroys river banks, and changes how the

river flows, where it flows, what lives in it, etc. Toxins used in the extraction of minerals

(for example cyanide and byproducts like mercury) can permanently pollute the land,

which makes people not able to farm in certain places. Open-pit mining leaves behind

large craters that can be seen from outer-space.

 ECOSYSTEM DAMAGE

Mines are highly damaging to the ecosystems surrounding them. Many different types

of mines affect many different types of ecosystems. For example, deep-sea mines are

at high risk of eliminating rare and potentially valuable organisms. Mining destroys

animal habitats and ecosystems. Pits that mines create could have been home to some

animals. Also, the activity that surrounds the mine, including people movement,

explosions, road construction, transportation of the goods, the sounds made, etc. are

harmful to the ecosystems and will change the way the animals have to live, because

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 Are we better off with mining? DIANNE JADE B. REBUTAR

they will have to find a new way to cope with the mine and live around it. Spills of

deadly substances have a very negative effect on animals and ecosystems in general.

Many of the toxins and tailings that are discharged from the mines can disrupt and

disturb the way animals live, and their health. Mining can completely destroy

ecosystems by adding or taking out something from the animals’ everyday lives,

therefore throwing the whole thing out of balance.

 DAMAGE TO LOCAL COMMUNITIES

Because of huge environmental, social, and cultural costs, allowing mining to operate

puts extreme stress on the health, food security, and right to life and livelihood of the

Filipinos who first lived in the area. Displacement, respiratory disease, loss of

agriculture and livelihood are just some of the things local communities lose to mining

corporations. The promises made by mining companies to provide scholarships and

provide livelihood to the affected people, especially with indigenous tribes are mere

palliatives in comparison to the massive environmental destruction and long-term

negative health impacts of unsustainable mining practices.

On the other hand, former DENR Secretary Gina Lopez has always been so vocal and

committed in her advocacy to stop the destructive operations of mining in our country.

During her short service as the secretary of DENR, she has imposed a 2-year

moratorium in approving new operations on mining explorations. However, this has

been previously lifted, in a move that the government and industry hope it will help

determine the potential of some prospects in the world's No. 2 nickel ore exporter.

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Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu, who took over from

committed environmentalist Regina Lopez also lifted a moratorium on government

approvals for small-scale mining projects citing President Rodrigo Duterte's push on

"increasing competitiveness and the ease of doing business to attract local and foreign

direct investment”.

However, mining remains a controversial issue , as it has always been.

Just recently, Typhoon Ompong hit the Philippines and created a lot of casualties. One

of the most badly hit in our country, leaving it behind it a trail of devastation, is the

Cordillera Administrative Region, wherein forty-eight people remained missing a little

over 48 hours after it exited the Philippine Area of Responsibility.

As of September 27, reports from DILG-CAR showed at least 111 people died, 22

missing, and 82 injured due to widespread landslides, and damages to houses and

evacuation centers during the onslaught of the typhoon that affected all parts of

Northern Luzon.

According to the NDRRMC, Ompong caused 119 landslides/rock slides and 33 flooding

incidents in the region.

Could we blame this disastrous event on the widespread mining activities in the region?

Disaster officials said most of the fatalities were illegally mining for gold near an

abandoned bunkhouse owned by a mining firm in Itogon, Benguet. According to Itogon

Mayor Victorio Palangdan, the mining firm, Benguet Corporation, did not rehabilitate the

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site after it was abandoned. The latter said the company failed to rehabilitate the area

even after a sinkhole appeared in the area in 2015.

However, according to an official of the Cordillera office of the Mines and Geosciences

Bureau (MGB-CAR), the conduct of small-scale mining activities in the area that was

the previous site of a large-scale mining operation is not the main culprit in the tragic

landslide incident that buried dozens of people alive . The MGB-CAR official claimed

that while mining could have been a contributory factor in the occurrence of the

landslide incident, it could not be the major factor that triggered the slide incident

because there were other aggravating factors, particularly the accumulated huge

volume of water in the soil and the characteristics of the soil and rock formations in the

place where they are highly weathered, fractured among others.

After the onslaught of such typhoon, the Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu had

placed a cease and desist order against small-scale mining companies in the Cordillera

Administrative Region (CAR). Mr. Cimatu said that he has revoked the temporary

permits of small-scale mining companies in CAR which would be “effective

immediately.” President Rodrigo then had made an announcement that he intended to

shut all mines in the country following deadly landslides.

It was reported that the House of Representatives will approve a bill banning open-pit

mining, which has been blamed for flooding and landslides that have resulted in

innumerable deaths.

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 Are we better off with mining? DIANNE JADE B. REBUTAR

According to the former DENR Secretary Gina Lopez, to allow Open-pit mines near

rivers and streams will put people’s lives at risk. There is no proof that open-pit mining is

for the common good. Rather, we have reality upon reality where it has caused big-time

suffering – and for life. To even allow the possibility of more suffering just so that

already very rich people can make more money is disgusting. The history of mining in

this country is of suffering. While a few earn jobs, it’s at the expense of thousand others.

President Rodrigo Duterte may push for a total ban on mining after the 2019 elections,

saying the industry has damaged the environment and has caused deadly

landslides. He said mining could not be banned for now because the law allows it but

this may change once a new Congress comes in.

The President also said that Congress has to repeal the Philippine Mining Act, saying

mining has "contributed a lot of hearthache to the Filipino people." "If we cannot end

mining because of the law,.Congress will have to abrogate the law," he said during a

post-disaster meeting in Benguet last September 17.

In view of the initial premise, it is note taking that mining operations bring jobs and

infuse money into the local economy, and the mining sector contributes to economic

growth in general. However, we should not forget that the quality of life of the people is

more important rather than the money they make. Based on the current happenings in

our country, it is a good question to ask ourselves “Are we really better off with mining?

Are we really getting the best out of it?

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 Are we better off with mining? DIANNE JADE B. REBUTAR

The government may be earning billions or even hundred of billions from mining, but

this does not compensate the huge amount of damage it causes to the environment and

to the lives of the people .The people involved in large mining corporations are only

concerned in achieving their self interest and sometimes tends to forget that there is

already an imbalance in the community. Thus, the government should really take a

stand on implementing its legal measures on mining to prevent destruction on mineral

resources. We should learn to adopt the principles of sustainable development,

repudiate neoliberal economics which is pro-corporate profits and breeds grave

inequities in the world. The government must exhaust all possible efforts to put a stop

to the desolation of nature and the violation of human rights of the poor and the

indigenous peoples of the Philippines.