Fearing that the landslide which affected thousands of people in Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental provinces at the onslaught of Typhoon Pablo can also happen in Negros, two groups called for a stop in large-scale mining in their province.

“We are very much worried that the situation will happen here should a supertyphoon like Pablo hit our island. Typhoon Pablo reminds us to stop logging and large scale mining in the island because of its high vulnerability to disasters,” said Greg Ratin, provincial secretary general of Defend Patrimony Alliance and KMP-Negros.

“We challenge the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental and the National Government to listen to the signs of the times and to act accordingly for the welfare of its constituents,” he added.

He recalled the tragedies brought about by the collapse of the tailings pond of Maricalum Mining in 1982 to 1996 and that of Philex Mining Corporation in 1997.

These incidents rendered harvestable crops and farmlands useless and resulted to hunger and illnesses, Ratin said.

Ratin revealed that recently, the International Fact Finding and Environmental Mission (IFFEM) probed disastrous mining activities in Hinoba-an town and the cities of Sipalay and Sagay that could be aggravated if a typhoon comes.

The IFFEM made the following recommendations: Stop destructive mining operations in Hinoba-an, Sipalay and Sagay City, stop displacing the fisherfolk and peasants in these areas, protect the livelihood and homes of fisherfolk in Negros’ coastal areas, form a high-level independent team, including people’s organizations to validate and investigate further the findings of the IFFEM team, especially on the impacts of mining on the life and livelihood of the people, hold Philex and ASPAC accountable for the destruction of environment and livelihood and must give compensation for the damages and losses, conduct further and more intensive investigations on the impact of mining operations on health and take immediate measures to address hazards on people’s health; and uphold and protect the rights of environmental activists and people opposed to destructive mining.*