Mining in the Philippines threatens the livelihoods of the poor
and destroys a fragile environment.

Clare Short, following a 10 day fact finding mission to the Philippines, has described the situation there in relation to mining as “shocking”. She met a number of communities impacted by mining activities and witnessed at first hand the havoc it is wreaking on their livelihoods, health and human rights. She also saw the potential for massive environmental destruction and the serious implications this has for the future sustainable development of the country.
During the fact finding mission Ms Short was accompanied by Clive Wicks, a consultant to the International World Conservation Union Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy, Cathal Doyle, a representative of the Irish Centre for Human Rights, Carino Antequisa, Cafod’s country representative and Fr. Frank Nally a Columban priest and sustainable development activist. The team met with representatives of Civil Society, NGOs, Indigenous Peoples organizations, academics, senate and house members, provincial governors, the World Bank, the Under Secretary of the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources, the British Embassy and the Chamber of Mines. They also visited a number of communities in Mindanao where mining operations are in progress or are being actively sought by mining companies.
The government claims that companies operating in the Philippines adhere to the highest international standards. Such claims, supported by the chamber of mines and the mining industry, however, are not borne out by the experiences of local communities

impacted by mining. The gap between rhetoric and reality on the ground is phenomenal.
Philippine law guarantees indigenous peoples the right to Free Prior Informed Consent. This means they have to give their consent to projects on their lands. In reality however this consent is repeatedly being fabricated by mining companies. Ms Short met with a number of Indigenous communities all of whom voiced similar concerns in relation to tactics used by companies to engineer consent. Tactics include bribery and corruption, misinformation, false promises, undermining of traditional decision making structures, intimidation and militarization.
There is a clear responsibility on the government of the Philippines to ensure that legislation designed to protect the rights of local communities, indigenous peoples and the environment is implemented. To date the government is not living up to this responsibility, preferring instead to rely on self regulation of companies. This approach does not provide for monitoring or accountability and denies local people the opportunity to enforce their rights.
The responsibility towards indigenous peoples and the environment is not confined to the Philippines government. It extends to institutions such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank which have been actively involved in promoting large scale mining. Ambassadors of countries which have been vocal