Former DENR Secretary Gina Lopez attested Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez' statement that mining is benefiting the country and its people.
“Prove it Sonny Domiguez that extracting industries can create wealth for our people," Lopez said, asking Dominguez to justify his claims of the need to promote and not suppress extractive industries nationwide and adding that these are essential to the development of Philippine's economy in the Philippine Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative forum last week, May 11.
In Dominguez' statement he also said the hosting such industries will generate revenues for the government and communities hosting it.
But Lopez said that the available data speaks differently than what he claims.
She enumerated a few of the data. There's only less than a fraction of 1 percent of the Ph population earn millions of dollars through mining. Ninety five percent income goes to other countries. Those figures alone aren't obviously satisfying Dominguez' claim that that mining is indeed benefiting the country.
In a forum, ABS-CBN Foundation Advocacy Head Norie Garcia said that three provinces, Bicol, Palawan and Mindoro are getting a total economic valuation of mining impact. Communities there have lost more than what they gained.
Mining accounted for was only P90.7 billion or 0.7 percent Philippine Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2014. The data was presented by Mines and Geosciences Bureau. Also, generating a total of 235, 000 jobs which is only 0.6 percent of nationwide employment for that year alone. In comparison to that, Department of Tourism showed data that Tourism accounted for a total of P982.4 billion or 7.8 percent of 2014 GDP and generated 4.7 million jobs representing 12.5 percent of total Philippine employment that year. That's a huge difference compared to Dominguez is saying.
There were also stories of people featured in a video aired at the forum telling about their ill health and misery because of the effects mining done in their communities.
"The numbers and people's lives don't support the claim mining is good for the country," said Lopez. "Sustainable development pertains to renewable and replenishable resources -- minerals are finite resources and once mined, these are lost forever," she added.
There's no hope in restoring the original conditions of mined out sites.
Lopez was also forthright driving away investors that Dominguez was encouraging to invest in mining.
center>“Go away. Don’t even think of coming here, we 10 million people don’t want you here,” she said.
Dominguez said, "One could be environment-friendly and business-friendly at the same time. They are not mutually exclusive inclinations. Only the zealots think they are.”
Lopez that she was working according to the Philippine Constitution as the DENR's chief. She added that if Sec. Dominguez thinks that what she is doing isn't enough she wonders how he redefines his word legal.
During her short period as DENR Secretary, she ordered to close down 23 mining companies nationwide because of they have violated policies and she ha cancelled 75 mineral production-sharing agreements working on sites near watersheds.
More to that, she also banned pit mining. A dangerous and deadly mining method that is only practiced in the Philippines.
Lopez orders and decisions drew chaos in the business of mining stakeholders and owners, Lopez was rejected as DENR chief appointment.
Environmental groups protested to the inconsiderate decision of the CA.
Source: CNN Philippines
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