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By Sammy Martin, Reporter
PARTY-LIST Rep. Teddy Casiño of
Bayan Muna on Friday assured the people of Nueva Vizcaya his full
support as he labeled a Court of Appeals (CA) decision preventing
its provincial government from implementing an order that halts
mining operations in the area as “a temporary setback for
environmental protection, local governance and the defense of
national patrimony.”
The Court of Appeals issued a
60-day injunction with temporary restraining order on the Nueva
Vizcaya provincial government that issued a cease-and-desist order (CDO)
on Oceana Gold, a Melbourne-based mining firm.
The militant party list bloc in
Congress supports the people of Nueva Vizcaya and its Governor Luisa
Cuaresma in this fight.
Gov. Cuaresma only put out a CDO
to stop Oceana Gold from operating the mine after it failed to pay
P30 million for a quarrying permit, aside from the growing tension
among indigenous tribes—including the murder of the village
chief—that the entry of the mining firm has caused.
Casino noted the CA decision has
obviously favored the Australian firm over the local people of the
province.
The militant lawmaker was visibly
dismayed by the decision penned by Associate Justice Remedios
Salazar-Fernando that completely favored Oceana Gold Mining, Inc.
The company runs the Didipio Gold-Copper Mining Project in Barangay
Didipio, Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya.
“I cannot help but surmise that
the decision is part of the Arroyo administration’s effort to
allow Oceana Gold to go on with its mining operations that will
permanently damage the area. The Oceana Gold incursion into Nueva
Vizcaya at this point is the cause of brewing tension and violence
among Ifugao and Bugkalot tribal communities in Dipidio,” he said.
He pointed out that the company
has in fact supplanted the government in the area as it has
arrogated the functions of providing social services and peace and
order in the area. It has demolished houses and bulldozed rice
lands.
With all due respect to the
Court, he said, we went to the area on June 7, were waylaid by a
police checkpoint and in fact saw the deep division among the once
peaceful local community due to the entry of Oceana Gold.
He stressed that this, to my
mind, is what the Court should do to better come up with a decision.
Casiño, along with Rep. Solomon
Chungalao of Ifugao, Rep. Carlos Padilla of Nueva Vizcaya, and Rep.
Luz Ilagan of Gabriela went to the area to have an onsite inquiry
into Oceana Gold’s violations committed in its operations.
From June 7 to 8, 2008, the said
Congressional Committee on National Cultural Communities held two
on-site hearings in Barangays Kakidugen andDidipio in Kasibu town,
mining sites of the foreign owned mining companies Royalco and
Oceana Gold, respectively.
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