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By Anthony Vargas, Reporter
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the
Philippines has stepped up the pressure for the provincial
government of South Cotabato to stop a big mining project in
Tampakan town.
“Large-scale mining is not moral, fair and
just,” Bishop Dinualdo Gutierrez of Marbel said in a pastoral
statement that was posted on the website of the bishops’
organization on Saturday.
Gutierrez added that the mining project
threatens the livelihood of farmers and fishermen in Tampakan.
“It is grievously immoral to extract precious
mineral deposits from a Third World country like the Philippines and
seriously damage the agricultural sector and aquatic resources
[there],” the bishop said.
Gutierrez and other religious leaders appealed
to Sagittarius Mines, Inc. and Swiss-controlled Xstrata plc to
abandon the project immediately.
According to the Marbel bishop, mining
operations in Third World or developing countries only serve the
needs of developed ones such as China and India.
Gutierrez, though, clarified that the church is
not against any form of development as long as this will not be done
at the expense of the environment.
“Global warming, climate changes and food
shortages now threaten human survival. Large-scale mining activities
never address but [only] aggravate the threat,” he said.
Sagittarius Mines and Xstrata plc will mine gold
and copper in Tampakan.
Earlier, Bishop Arturo Bastes of Sorsogon called
for the shutdown of a South Korean-operated mining firm on Rapu-Rapu
Island in Albay province. Like Gutierrez, Bastes also cited
environmental concerns.
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