No to another Semirara Tragedy, No to SMI-Xstrata Mines

sanlakas.ph

Category: Statements

Published on Friday, 15 February 2013 10:35

Sanlakas Partylist strongly condemned the recent tragedy at Semirara Mines in Antique which immediately claimed the lives of 5 people with 10 people still missing as of the latest sketchy reports.

The mine site is located in a small Philippine island of Antique and uses open pit mining to mine coal.

“Sanlakas Partylist calls for an immediate investigation of this incident and demands that the operators of the said mine pay for all the damages incurred not for the miners who were trapped and killed, but also the whole community in the province whose lives were put in danger due to coal mining in the area", Aaron Pedrosa of Sanlakas Partylist-Cebu said.

"We all know the bad and irreversible effect of coal to the health of an individual and the people must be compensated for it. We have been against coal mining and coal plant operations in Cebu and in any other parts of the country. The Semirara incident is a wake up call on the government”, Pedrosa added.

Sanlakas Partylist in a statement said, "No matter how convincing the mining companies’ claims that their operation is safe, this cannot be taken as an assurance that incidents like this will not happen. Small islands are more prone and susceptible to natural calamities and disasters. Hence, extractive industries like mining must not be allowed in these places. So we ask again: Why is mining still allowed in Antique knowing the grave risks it poses to the people". "This event makes Sanlakas more committed in its position not to allow SMI-Xstrata to operate in Tampakan. The recent pronouncement of PNoy telling his DENR chief to review the issuance of the ECC of SMI and castigating him for siding with the LGU’s decision not to allow SMI-Xstrata to operate in the province shows the ineptness in regulating minerals and coal extraction", the statement read. The Sangguniang Panlalawigan just recently re-iterated their ban on open pit mining in the in the area w/c is yet another major blow to the Tampakan project. "SMI-Xstrata is a like a dagger pointed at the heart of the people of Tampakan. Pnoy’s insistence to grant its ECC will be catastrophic as seen in the light of the recent events at Semirara", James Miraflor, National Spokesperson of Sanlakas Partylist, said. Sanlakas Partylist called on the PNoy Government to uphold the interest of the people and not of multi-national mining companies. "Instead of getting himself busy campaigning for his allies in the coming election, PNoy must instead focus on the welfare of the people. The People of Tampakan, particularly the Indigenous Peoples, have fallen victims to SMI-Xstrata, the extra-judicial killings, human rights violations, and internal displacement. All this must stop NOW! Tao muna bago kita!", said Manjette Lopez, Secretary General of Sanlakas Partylist. "The government must uphold the peoples’ stand against mining! Pressure must not be put on LGUs who stood and continues to stand firm in their rejection of mining operations in their area. The people’s interest and lives must always be over and above the interest of the multinational corporations", Lopez concluded.   source