TABUK CITY, KALINGA – Amidst moves to revive the defunct Batong Buhay Gold Mines (BBGM) in Pasil, this province, and the development of at least one more mine in the same mineral-rich town, there is a need for the provincial government to formulate a blueprint for mining, a local cooperative leader said.
Manny Onalan, 49, president of the 100-strong Kalinga Tawid Development Cooperative (KTDC), said that this is imperative so that the provincial government will not just be reacting to but preempting problems brought about by the entry of mining in the province.
Onalan said that the presence of a blueprint could also help the resource owners to have one voice relative to the development, extraction and management of their mining resources.
Onalan said the blueprint should be anchored on the vision-mission of the Kalinga for the area to become an agro-industrial and tourism hub “otherwise we should do away with the vision-mission of the province.”
Onalan said that as far as KTDC whose members produce and market organic agricultural products is concerned, the vision-mission of the province is more in tune with small scale-mining than with large-scale mining.
“The negative impacts of small-scale mining could easily be remedied. There are existing technologies which are perfected for small-scale mining. There are modern water technologies which could clean the water used in small-scale mining areas before being released to the main stream. On the other hand, profit is the driving force of large-scale mining so if the measures to protect the environment will cause so much and make the operations unprofitable, they will be abandon this to the detriment of the environment,” Onalan said.
Onalan also said that the local economy will benefit more from small-scale mining than in large-scale mining where the company takes out the bulk of the output of its operations.
Onalan claimed that if the provincial government has a blueprint, not only will the ill effects to the environment of mining be mitigated or avoided but the social unrest they could cause will likewise be averted as the interest of the people who will be affected by the negative impact of mining will be taken into account.
“If the interest of the people downstream whose lives depend on the Chico River will not be considered, it is likely that there will be a conflict between them and whoever will push for mining. What would make things worse is the invocation by the owner of the company of the police powers of the state to protect its operations. It would say that since the government has issued it a license to operate, its operations should not be disrupted. In response, the government will deploy the military in the area which in turn will draw the opposing force. This happened in the 80s when the Batong Buhay first operated and it could happen again,” Onalan said.
Onalan said that a confrontation between the downstream dwellers and the resource owners and their partners could be avoided if the blueprint will treat the Chico River – the Pasil River which passes through the mining areas is one of the tributaries of the Chico River – as the economic backbone and lifeblood of the province.
“We cannot compromise the river with short-term economic returns. The bulk of the benefits from mining will be taken out of the province while the water and the plains of the province are perpetual venues for agriculture and other related industries,” Onalan said.
Regarding the position of DA Sec. Arthur Yap that agriculture and mining could co-exist, Onalan asked when did that ever happen in this country.
Onalan also said that with regards to mining, the vision-mission of the province dictates that its metal resources should be processed into finished products to maximize their added value before being released to the open market.
“If we only serve as a quarry, we will not be maximizing our resources. We will only get the cost of our labor and the value of a small portion of the resource extracted,” Onalan said.
Onalan is not absolutely against large-scale mining “but it should be moved to a future time when the technology to mitigate its environmental impact becomes available and when we will be equipped to process the gold into finished products.” **By Estanislao Albano, Jr., ZZW
Manny Onalan, 49, president of the 100-strong Kalinga Tawid Development Cooperative (KTDC), said that this is imperative so that the provincial government will not just be reacting to but preempting problems brought about by the entry of mining in the province.
Onalan said that the presence of a blueprint could also help the resource owners to have one voice relative to the development, extraction and management of their mining resources.
Onalan said the blueprint should be anchored on the vision-mission of the Kalinga for the area to become an agro-industrial and tourism hub “otherwise we should do away with the vision-mission of the province.”
Onalan said that as far as KTDC whose members produce and market organic agricultural products is concerned, the vision-mission of the province is more in tune with small scale-mining than with large-scale mining.
“The negative impacts of small-scale mining could easily be remedied. There are existing technologies which are perfected for small-scale mining. There are modern water technologies which could clean the water used in small-scale mining areas before being released to the main stream. On the other hand, profit is the driving force of large-scale mining so if the measures to protect the environment will cause so much and make the operations unprofitable, they will be abandon this to the detriment of the environment,” Onalan said.
Onalan also said that the local economy will benefit more from small-scale mining than in large-scale mining where the company takes out the bulk of the output of its operations.
Onalan claimed that if the provincial government has a blueprint, not only will the ill effects to the environment of mining be mitigated or avoided but the social unrest they could cause will likewise be averted as the interest of the people who will be affected by the negative impact of mining will be taken into account.
“If the interest of the people downstream whose lives depend on the Chico River will not be considered, it is likely that there will be a conflict between them and whoever will push for mining. What would make things worse is the invocation by the owner of the company of the police powers of the state to protect its operations. It would say that since the government has issued it a license to operate, its operations should not be disrupted. In response, the government will deploy the military in the area which in turn will draw the opposing force. This happened in the 80s when the Batong Buhay first operated and it could happen again,” Onalan said.
Onalan said that a confrontation between the downstream dwellers and the resource owners and their partners could be avoided if the blueprint will treat the Chico River – the Pasil River which passes through the mining areas is one of the tributaries of the Chico River – as the economic backbone and lifeblood of the province.
“We cannot compromise the river with short-term economic returns. The bulk of the benefits from mining will be taken out of the province while the water and the plains of the province are perpetual venues for agriculture and other related industries,” Onalan said.
Regarding the position of DA Sec. Arthur Yap that agriculture and mining could co-exist, Onalan asked when did that ever happen in this country.
Onalan also said that with regards to mining, the vision-mission of the province dictates that its metal resources should be processed into finished products to maximize their added value before being released to the open market.
“If we only serve as a quarry, we will not be maximizing our resources. We will only get the cost of our labor and the value of a small portion of the resource extracted,” Onalan said.
Onalan is not absolutely against large-scale mining “but it should be moved to a future time when the technology to mitigate its environmental impact becomes available and when we will be equipped to process the gold into finished products.” **By Estanislao Albano, Jr., ZZW
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