During the referendum, the communities will decide if they are in agreement or not with this mining development in Quimsacocha.  The indigenous communities involved include, Tarkis, Irkis, Kachiwaiku, Escaleras and others who are part of the parish of Tarqui and Victoria del Portete.  All of these people rely on this water for domestic use, irrigation, agriculture and livestock production, in other words for their food sovereignty.

This is the first referendum to be held in Ecuador regarding a mining project. Despite many attempts to have their voices heard, the government seems to be at the very best unresponsive.  A referendum is the last hope to voice their opinions.  The right to hold a referendum is supported by Ecuador’s Constitution, and the International Labour Organization Law 169.  These communities have the right to free and prior consent.

Different experiences of voting have proved to be an important, peaceful and crucial political tool in making mining corporations accountable and socially responsible.  The first voting case in Tambogrande, Peru, in 2002 whereby 90% of the people affected voted against a mega-mining project, grabbed international media attention, and led to the eventual closure of the mining project.  This case, stimulated further referendums in other communities in Latin America including; Esquel – Argentina, Sipacapa – Guatemala, Peru, Colombia, Mexico, and recently here in Canada.

The presence of international observers is partly why these referendums have had such a success.  Given that the referendum in Ecuador is taking place in 2 days, it may not be viable to send volunteer observers, however it is vital that we continue to support such communities at the most important stage in their struggle.  Everyone needs to be aware of this upcoming referendum, spread this information to all of your contacts, and help where you can.

Approval of this FTAA application will allow the Canadian mining firm MBMI and its Philippine Partners to substantially increase exploration activities and to progress toward full-scale nickel operations in the municipalities of Rizal, Bataraza, and Narra.

In response to the news–and the ongoing incursion of mining developments in Palawan–more than 500 Indigenous Peoples have arranged to hold a ‘Karaban’ anti-mining rally on 7 June, 2010.

Sign a petition to Stop Mining in Palawan!  http://petitiononline.com/PA2010/petition.html

STATEMENT: PALAWAN ANTI-MINING PROTESTERS RETURN TO THEIR HOMES: FEW GAINS ACHIEVED AND MORE CHALLENGES AHEAD

The anti-mining “karaban rally” composed of about 600 protesters from farmers and indigenous communities had reached the capital city of Puerto Princesa on the 7^th of June (see previous IC release). The rally had been supported by various organizations and religious groups such as the Ipilan parish of “Our Lady of Lourdes”, Augustinian Missionaries, the Global Legal Action on Climate Change, The Environmental Legal Assistance Center (ELAC), the Palawan NGO Network, Inc (PNNI), Haribon Palawan, The Federation of Tribes in Palawan (Natripal), Bangsa Palawan Philippines, Inc and ALDAW (Ancestral Land/Domain Watch). The main scope of the peaceful effort was to request the Provincial Government not to endorse the proposed plans of MacroAsia and Ipilan Nickel Corporation (INC), and to clarify matters on the Canadian-based MBMI mining company’s newly approved Financial and Technical Assistance Agreement (FTAA) application. Such approval has also been announced by the TORONTO, ONTARIO- GC-Global Capital Corp, a merchant bank, providing bridge loan services (asset back/collateralized financing), to companies across many industries such as oil & gas, mining, real estate, etc. Global’s Chief Executive Officer, Jason Ewart commented “The FTAA license approval represents a major milestone for MBMI Resources. MBMI can now begin to capitalize on its large nickel resource and pursue contracts for its product from its network of targeted customers within the region. We also expect that this will allow the company to pursue discussions with several major potential strategic partners for the development of large-scale production facilities in the Philippines. We look forward to following MBMI’s progress in 2010.” On the same day (7 June) in which this statement was made public: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/gc-global-capital-corp-announces-that-its-client-company-mbmi-resources-inc-has-received-ftaa-application-approval-in-the-philippines-2010-06-07?reflink=MW_news_stmp -

Palawan anti-mining protestors were marching towards Palawan Capital City to deliver their complains to the Provincial Government.  In the evening they met with the anti-mining Puerto Princesa Mayor, Hon. Edward S. Hagedorn who sympathized with the motivations behind the rally. Until the afternoon of 8 June a delegation of the rally’s organizers, supported by their NGOs counterparts, engaged in intense meetings with the Provincial Regulatory Board (PMRB) and with the Committee on Environment of the Provincial Government. In one of such meetings, the rally’s delegation questioned the legitimacy of MacroAsia and Ipilan Nickel Corporations’ applications being endorsed by the local government of Brooke’s Point Municipality. Atty Mary Jean Feliciano, former Municipal vice-mayor, said  “MacroaAsia was endorsed by the local government in less than one hour without any public consultation. It is surprising that the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development, the agency in charge of protecting Palawan environment, has in fact, allowed mining companies to explore in ‘core zones’ and ‘watersheds’ of maximum protection” she said. According to Atty Feliciano also “the National Council for Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), rather than defending the interests of their constituents, are convincing local indigenous communities to accept mining in their territory, because it will make them rich, will give them motorcycles and cellular phones. So they are conspiring with mining companies by bribing indigenous leaders” (http://vimeo.com/11462206). Artiso Mandawa, spokesperson for ALDAW/NATRIPAL (Ancestral Land and Domain Watch-Nagkakaisang Tribo ng Palawan) added that for the indigenous peoples “mining is not Development, it creates conflict among people, and it destroys our culture by bringing foreign values to our community. Some of my people still have limited contacts with the outside and are not even registered in the national and provincial census. They are the first inhabitants to arrive on this island and yet, for the government, they appear not to exist (http://vimeo.com/11491685).

As a result of the negotiations taking place between the protesters’ delegation and policy makers in Puerto Princesa, the Provincial Government agreed that endorsement of both MacroAsia and INC should require further investigation and – until all issues are clarified – their applications will be ‘frozen’. Specifically, Hon. Vicky De Guzman, member of the Provincial board, took an open stand in favour of the protesters, encouraging them to be vigilant of all irregularities dealing with mining application processes, and to report them promptly to the Provincial Government”. However, according to Atty Dong Lorenzo of the Environmental Legal Assistance Centre (ELAC) the search for irregularities must start first in the Presidential Palace of Malacañang and in the central office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. “The trend is clear that mining companies are doing everything their money and influence can buy to get permits and put their projects in place before the new government officially takes over in a few weeks” Lorenzo said. This view has been confirmed by Jaybee Garganera, National Cordinator of Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM). With reference to the recent Financial and Technical Assistance Agreement (FTAA) approved in favor of the Canadian MBMI Resources he said “it is unacceptable that affected communities and the rest of the Filipino people learn about this midnight mining contract from international sources and the mining company, and yet the DENR itself is mum about it”.  He dared the DENR to either deny this mining contract does has not been approved or immediately release all the documents as soon as possible”. He added that “it is the highest form of irony and hypocrisy that a destructive midnight mining deal was fast-tracked in Palawan, a province that is considered as a global biodiversity hotspot, and host to one of the wonders of the modern world – the St. Paul Subterrainean River System”. On the contrary if DENR will push for the endorsement of MBMI, three mining companies: Narra Nickel Mining and Development, Inc. (NNMDC), Tesoro Mining and Development, Inc. (TMDI), and McArthur Mining, Inc. (MMI)  will begin their operations in the Municipality of Narra, Bataraza and Rizal with severe consequences for the livelihoods of hundreds of farmers and indigenous people, not to mentioned the irreparable damage to agricultural production and fisheries on which such municipality depend. At least one of the proposed mining operations cover more than 3,200 hectares and will impact the Mt. Bulanjao range in southern Palawan, and its unique ultramafic forest. The area is considered one of the best-conserved biodiversity hot spots on the island. A total of six major rivers from the mountain range supply water to both migrant and indigenous population (http://vimeo.com/11353087 – http://vimeo.com/11386137).

Fr. Edu Gariguez, Executive Director of the National Secretariat of Social Action of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP-NASSA), also expressed concern about these new developments.  He said “the granting of this latest FTAA in Palawan, if true, goes against the Catholic social teaching of stewardship of the Earth and preferential treatment of the poor”. He added that “given the fragile ecology of Palawan and the opposition of local communities, especially IPs, the mining contract should be rescinded as soon as possible”.  The influential Catholic Church in the Philippines has consistently shown its position against large-scale mining, amidst documented reports from its dioceses that mining operations are impacting the ecology, livelihoods and access to natural resources of the poor (http://vimeo.com/11359268).

While the ‘karaban’ anti-mining rally has served to channel more public attention on mining aggression on Palawan’s UNESCO-declared Man and Biosphere Reserve, it has also provided additional encouragement to local communities in consolidating their local struggles.  For instance, farmers from the village of Calategas in Narra, where the Canadian-backed nickel mining project is set to operate, said they would resort to “human barricades” to stop the project if a permit is issued by Malacañang. “We will form a barricade if they issue the permit. We will gather the entire Calategas and set up a barricade. We won’t mind getting hurt,” said a spokesperson of a group of farmers opposed to the project. Similar sentiments were also expressed by people from the Northern Municipality of Roxas, where the Fujian mining company received an initial endorsement despite the absence of Free and Prior Informed Consent Processes being carried out with the affected communities. Surprisingly, also those companies that have already been apprehended for their illegalities are still allowed to continue. This is the case of the Citinickel Mine and Development Corporation in the Municipality of Punang, Sofronio Espanola, which has been accused for the violation of Section 103 of the Philippine Mining Act of 1995, and for the illegal deforestation of mangroves during the construction of their company’s pier.

Undoubtedly, the future of mining in the so called “Philippine’s Last Frontier” will depend on how the newly elected administration will implement fundamental environmental reforms and actions. 
”Now that Noynoy Aquino is set to be proclaimed as the new president, the question that comes up is whether he will fulfill his promise to bring about a government different and opposed to the previous Arroyo administration. This would mean taking concrete steps in implementing positive reforms and reversing the policies that negatively impacted our people and environment,” said Clemente Bautista Jr. of Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment (Kalikasan PNE).

WHAT YOU CAN DO

• Sign a Petition to Stop Mining in Palawan!
  http://petitiononline.com/PA2010/petition.html

And address your concerns to:

* PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT OF PALAWAN

piopalawan@gmail.com

rlnn419@yahoo.com palawan@pal-onl.com

Hon. Abraham Kahlil B. Mitra

district2palawan@yahoo.com.ph

*PALAWAN COUNCIL FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

oed@pcsd.ph

pcsdsfsd@compass.com.ph

*DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONEMNT AND NATURAL RESOURCES

osec@denr.gov.ph

hea@denr.gov.ph

MINES AND GEOSCIENCE BUREAU

mines_r4@yahoo.com

Also forwards your complaints to:

Michael T. Mason

President and Director

MBMI Resources Inc

Vancouver, B.C. Canada

mbr@mbmiresources.com

Jason Ewart

Chief Executive Officer

GC-Global Capital Corp

Toronto Ontario, Canada

jewart@gcglobalcapital.ca

For more information watch ALDAW videos
http://www.vimeo.com/aldawnetwork http://www.youtube.com/user/ALDAWpalawan

http://hub.witness.org/en/users/aldaw-network
or contact the ALDAW Network (Ancestral Land/Domain Watch) aldawnetwork@gmail.com and Alyansa Tigil Mina (nc@alyansatigilmina.net/ alyansatigilmina@gmail.com)

Well.. now, a lot of the amazing panels that happened at this year’s mining injustice panel are available on our own Blip.tv channel. Check out the channel here.

Someone Else's Treasure

Someone Else’s Treasure is an ongoing multimedia project which brings to light some of the experiences of indigenous communities around the world that have been impacted by the global mining industry – including communities in the Philippines, Tanzania, Papua New Guinea, Australia, Chile, Canada, and Guatemala.

This multimedia piece focuses on communities in San Marcos, Guatemala, living next to the Canadian-owned Marlin Mine. The first two songs are by Grupo Kotzic, who are from San Marcos, singing about the peoples’ resistance to the mine. The third song is a live recording from inside the Church of San Miguel Ixtahuacan, San Marcos, where  community members were singing a song they wrote about their experiences with the mine.

In an effort to better understand the true cost of an industry that shapes the world around all of us, the focus of Someone Else’s Treasure is on the externalized – the men, women, and children, that have been left out of the equations and are therefore forced to pay the price for someone else’s treasure.

Someone Else’s Treasure – Guatemala from allan lissner on Vimeo.

The mayor Maria Shopova explains why she supports the protests by the people of Popintsi against mining by the Canadian company Euromax Resources Limited.

Baba Rajna tells the story of the fierce protests against Canadian company Euromax Resources in 2006.

Hristina Daskalova explains why people in her village do not have faith in future mining activities by Canadian company Euromax Resources.

Pavlina Dimitrova explains how the protests by young people and mothers led to a cancellation of the cyanide mining project by Canadian company Dundee Precious Metals.

Friends of the Earth International’s community testimonies let people speak for themselves. Visit www.foei.org to hear more testimonies and to find out how you can get involved!

Produced by Friends of the Earth International

Gregoria Crisanta Perez explains why she fears the mining company will take away the land of her community in San Miguel, Ixtahuacan, Guatemala.

Francisca Angelica Aguilar Cinto talks about the impacts of mining activities of the Canadian company Goldcorp Inc. on her water sources, her animals and her house and what she did to protest.

Crisanta Hernandez talks about the way her community has been seeking redress for the damage to their houses caused by the mine, and how the company responded.

Clementa Marcelino Cinto talks about the involvement of mine workers from the Canadian mining company Goldcorp Inc. in the death of her father and the insecurity in her community.

Margarita Bamaca talks about how the contamination of water sources caused by mining activities of the Canadian mining company Goldcorp Inc. is affecting her crops and cattle and people’s health.

Brendys Bamaca talks about the effects of mining on the environment and on people, and what she has done to protest.

Julia Bamaca talks about how the contamination of water sources caused by the mine is affecting her food crops and cattle and peoples health and how she has tried to seek redress.

Friends of the Earth International’s community testimonies let people speak for themselves. Visit www.foei.org to hear more testimonies and to find out how you can get involved!

This testimony was filmed by CEIBA, FOE Guatemala.

“Our Land, Our Life” presents the struggle of Carrie and Mary Dann, two Western Shoshone elders, to address the threat mining development poses to the sacred and environmentally sensitive lands of Crescent Valley, Nevada.  Produced by Oxfam America.

Speech by Jethro Tulin, Executive Officer,in Akali Tange Association, Highlands of Papua New Guinea at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issueson, on the environmentally destructive impacts of Barrick Gold Porgera Gold Mine, the human rights abuses, and extra judical killings.

Lake Cowal is situated 47km north-east of West Wyalong, central western New South Wales and is the biggest inland lake in the state. It is protected under two international agreements on migratory birds with Japan (JAMBA) and China (CAMBA), it is also listed on the national heritage register as a significant wetland, and home to many native and endangered species. Lake Cowal is an ephemeral lake that floods into the Lachlan river catchments which leads to the Murrumbidgie and Murray Rivers.

Canadian Gold mining company Barrick has proposed to mine at Lake Cowal using cyanide and lethal chemicals. This mine will be an open cut mine 1km long, 325m deep (the height of Centre Point Tower) and 825m wide on the very edge of the lake. The low-grade ore that is dug up is sprayed with a cyanide solution that leaches out tiny gold flecks; the waste cyanide is then transported through pipes to tailings dams 3.5km from the Lake. The dams are left open so that cyanide can break down. There are close to a hundred toxic chemicals that are breakdown products of cyanide, there are also heavy metals that remain from this process which are a threat to health. One teaspoon of a 2% solution can kill an adult human.

Activists travelled to Lake Cowal in October 2004 to challenge Barrick and act in solidarity with local indigenous people

Local resistance to Goldcorp’s Marlin Mine in San Miguel Ixtahuacán. San Marcos, Guatemala.