RP probes mine tailings catastrophe<\/p>\n
By Dario B. Agnote<\/p>\n
MANILA (Kyodo): Environmentalists first sounded the warning
\nmore than a decade ago but it went largely unheeded.<\/p>\n
Today, the Philippine government is trying to determine the
\nextent of a pollution catastrophe that has already affected some
\n15,000 peasants in Marinduque, an island province 165 kilometers
\nsoutheast of Manila, and is likely to get bigger.<\/p>\n
Environmentalists and the government say the culprit is
\nMarcopper Mining Corp., which is believed to have been dumping
\nmine tailings into Calancan Bay since 1975, plus tons of waste
\ndischarge into the Boac River, poisoning first the marine life
\nand then the people.<\/p>\n
The state government more than a week ago shut down the
\ncompany's operations, and a government board Monday recommended
\nthe filing of administrative, civil and criminal actions against
\nthe company and its officers.<\/p>\n
The Boac River is now virtually dead. Its water -- once clear
\n-- has turned gray and sticky, like clay.<\/p>\n
Tests conducted by the Poison Control Center said river water
\nsamples show the presence of toxic elements such as cadmium,
\nzinc, mercury, copper and lead.<\/p>\n
The spillage has contaminated not only the 25-kilometer river
\nbut the water supply as well, forcing villagers to drink coconut
\nwater.<\/p>\n
At least four people, including a 7-year-old boy, have been
\ndiagnosed with gastroenteritis after eating fish from the river.
\nOthers have complained of headaches, stomachaches and respiratory
\nailments.<\/p>\n
Most of the patients were from seven villages rendered
\ninaccessible by the mine tailings. Local health workers say the
\nvillagers have alarming concentrations of lead in their blood.<\/p>\n
Mineral products are among the Philippines' leading exports.
\nAnd Marcopper -- a big employer, foreign exchange earner and
\ntaxpayer -- is one of the biggest players in the industry.<\/p>\n
But unlike other mineral exporting countries, there is no law
\nin the Philippines which requires mining companies to
\nrehabilitate exhausted mines. There are also no agencies to
\nensure that mining companies comply with environmental rules.<\/p>\n
Amando Doronila, a columnist of the influential English-
\nlanguage daily Philippine Daily Inquirer, recently wrote, \"The
\nkey words in this country are exploit and plunder.\"<\/p>\n
\"There's a point where the costs of environmental damage catch
\nup with the economic gains. That point was reached when the Boac
\nRiver flooded from the dumping of mineral waste disgorged by
\nMarcopper's mine.<\/p>\n
\"The costs have become unacceptable to local people, whose
\nvillages have been marooned, and where marine resources have been
\npoisoned by the waste,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The Marcopper case is the perfect example of a major dilemma
\nthat confronts a struggling economy such as the Philippines --
\nrevenue generation versus resource protection. Often, the need
\nfor money prevails over the desire to preserve the environment.<\/p>\n
Before the recent shutdown, Marcopper, 40 percent of which is
\nowned by Placer Dome of Canada, produced 30,000 tons of ore a
\nday. The company employs 900 people, provides electricity and
\npays some 4 to 5 million pesos in real estate taxes every year.<\/p>\n
In 1982, reports say, then President Ferdinand Marcos granted
\nMarcopper's request to continue unrestricted disposal of mine
\ntailings.<\/p>\n
The Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources
\nput a stop to the practice when the administration of Corazon
\nAquino came to power.<\/p>\n
Ironically, the Aquino administration later reversed the
\ndepartment order for Marcopper to stop dumping tailings into the
\nsea. The reason -- the company was simply made to deposit 30,000
\npesos daily into a rehabilitation fund for Calancan Bay.<\/p>\n
Like most observers of current events in the country, Doronila
\npredicts the Marinduque incident will not be the last disaster
\narising the constant battle between economic gain and
\nenvironmental preservation.<\/p>\n
\"Many more disasters are waiting in the wings to happen,\" he
\nsays.<\/p>",
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