|
Three senior Roman Catholic bishops on Wednesday stepped up their
campaign against the mining industry, saying it destroyed both the
environment and local communities.
“Mining in the Philippines not only destroys
the environment but has become the vehicle for the violation of
human rights, enthnocide of indigenous communities, and even
deaths,” said Bishop Sergio Utleg as they launched “Anti-Mining
Solidarity Week.”
Utleg, chairman of a special commission on
tribal communities of the influential Catholic Bishops’ Conference
of the Philippines, charged that encouraging mining investment in
this impoverished country was a violation of human rights.
Bishop Ramon Villena added that only foreign and
local investors were benefiting from the resurgence of the mining
industry, which President Gloria Arroyo has been promoting.
Fellow Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez said he hoped
the anti-mining week would drum up support for opposition to the
industry.
The mining industry, which employs about 141,000
people, has enjoyed a revival in recent months, thanks to the
opening of the sector to foreign investment, a measure promoted by
Arroyo.
The government is targeting $6.5 billion in
total investment in mining from 2007 to 2011.
However the sector has also become a target of
environmentalists and leftist activists including communist
guerrillas who have attacked mining companies.
-- AFP
|
