CLEARING OPERATION. Farmers and other Poocan locals form a human barricade in front of a bulldozer dispatched by Caluya Mayor Genevieve Lim-Reyes and Semirara Mining Corp. Photo from Theo Mateo
MANILA, Philippines – Two farmer leaders and one member of a non-governmental organization were arrested on Friday, February 28, while forming a barricade to stop a bulldozer from clearing rice fields in Sitio Poocan on Semirara Island, Antique province.
Farmer leaders Mark Kato and Bernard Magdaug, as well as Theo Mateo, a member of Pakisama(Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magsasaka) were arrested for illegal assembly that afternoon, confirmed Mayor Genevieve Lim-Reyes.
The barricade was formed by farmers since Thursday, when a bulldozer dispatched by the DMCI-owned Semirara Mining Corporation (SMC) attempted to clear 5 hectares of rice fields. According to the mayor, the rice fields are to be turned into a relocation site with housing for around 100 families from Sabang, a nearby village.
"It was purchased by the local government of Caluya mainly for its inhabitants in the said area who have no houses to shelter their families in or who would want to transfer their residences," Lim-Reyes told Rappler in an email.
She added that SMC's involvement in the operation was only upon the request of the town because SMC had the necessary heavy equipment to get the job done.
However, an SMC assistant administrator called the relocation site a "joint project" with the town and part of the corporate social responsibility program of the company.
According to Mateo, personnel of the local government unit (LGU) surveyed the 5 hectares of rice fields to be cleared last January 23 and already installed a mohon or marker.
Hours before the arrest, an official from the Department of Agriculture visited the site to assess the rice fields in order to create a compensation offer for the farmers.
Sabang land
The 100 families to be relocated from Sabang currently live on 3 hectares of land that locals suspect SMC and the LGU want to turn into a waste facility for the company's coal-fired power plant. Called a waste tailings pond, it stores and filters waste from coal combustion. An ill-maintained tailings pond could cause the waste to spill into the sea.
Lim-Reyes denied that the Sabang land would be turned into a tailings pond but did not say what the land would be used for.
SMC, owned by DMCI, was able to extend their contract to mine coal on the island until 2027. The first contract ended in July 2012. (READ: Court blocks Palawan DMCI coal plant)
Locals vehemently opposed the expansion of SMC's contract. Last October 22, around 400 locals rallied simultaneously in front of the Semirara village hall and Caluya municipal hall to say no to the mining expansion.
They fear that the continued mining and combustion of coal will endanger the marine and land ecosystems which most locals depend on for their livelihood. Around 30% of the population are seaweed farmers whose crops are particularly vulnerable to spills or contamination that could occur if the mine's facilities fail.
SMC is the biggest producer of coal in the country and operates the only open-pit coal mine in the Philippines, according to their website. Around 90% of all the coal being produced in the country comes from the mine. – Rappler.com source
No comments:
Post a Comment