Mining Situation in Benguet

By: Rona Dale Ortiz

Balitok Mines in Itogon Benguet---- the depth of travel for almost an hour and a half molded my fear of being trapped within the barren mountain ranges. How could have man trimmed down the mountains that have helped him survive and has provided him a shelter that is almost equal to paradise?

Crossing the Other Side

Benguet Corporation is already at its 100 years of mining operations. On the 26^th of July, I have witnessed the state of environment in terms of mountain range area, the devastation of the Pine forests of Benguet and the threat to the lives of the people in the hosting community of mining.

I have interviewed Mr. Ernesto Manipon, the head mining engineer about the pros and cons of mining. For several years I have always heard militant sectors that were battling against mining act, particularly the mining act of 1995. There are also a lot of issues about mining that has even made me more scared about the condition of the mountain ranges. So I’ve asked Mr. Manipon about his opinions on environmental issues that are directed to the mining mechanics, inclined on destroying and burying to the under of specific location. Mr. Manipon said that the small scale mining project that is not under the Benguet Corporation doesn’t have a proper guideline on the so called mining operations. He further approved that the company has earned proper papers and permits in order to conduct the operations. The company believes in the process of responsible mining. He also said that the company recycles a portion of the mining site when it is not already potent on further quarrying in order to produce gold.

When Reality Bites

The actual picture was like; the community is at risk because the land condition is really ‘barren’ that when it will rain erosion can occur. Even if we say that there are permits earned in order to continue the operations, in my eye the threat is everlasting, when the rains continue to pour I fear that one day a number of lives may deteriorate due to over quarrying caused by mining operations. The quality of the soil also decreases itself to potency in terms of agricultural production, since there are already chemicals that are borne while the quarrying process takes place.

General option: Should we continue the operations?

We cannot blame the militants who care for the current situation in mining, its adverse and long term effects in the environment. Mining when it is drafted uses certain chemicals that is harmful to the water systems, if chemicals like mercury are borne within the process the lives in the underwater ecosystem shall deteriorate, how could people get water reservoir if the body of water is already polluted say for example the rivers.

The indigenous sector opposes the said operations because of the fact that some mining companies don’t consult them, in their ancestral lands. The company has military options to arrange everything, to exploit the rights of the indigenous people thru grabbing their lands and transforming it to a mining site.