See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=11456&l=1.

Documents obtained by the Diocese of Marbel showed that Environment Secretary Ramon Paje rejected the ECC application of Sagittarius Mines, Inc., (SMI) due to the open-pit mining ban imposed by the provincial government of South Cotabato.

Sagittarius Mines is controlled by Xstrata Copper, the world’s fourth largest copper producer. Xstrata is based in Switzerland but listed on the London Stock Exchange.

See http://www.mindanews.com/environment/2012/01/13/denr-denies-smi%E2%80%99s-ecc-application-smi-to-appeal-for-reconsideration/.

Philippines: Another natural disaster reignites the mining debate

Shortly before Christmas 2011 the Philippines reconfirmed its reputation for natural disasters when tropical storm Washi (local name Sendong) caused devastation on the north coast of Mindanao. As previously, the cause of much of the catastrophe appears man-made, thanks mainly to the denudation of forest cover on the watersheds.

Although the Philippine mining industry was quick to note there was no large-scale mining that would have directly affected this particular tragedy, the role of mining in the region has been highlighted again. It has certainly highlighted the exemption that allows mining companies to continue logging despite bans put in place after similar incidents.

Then on January 5th a subsequent landslide hit a gold-mining area, which is subject to such incidents, with an estimated 25 fatalities. This particularly highlighted the potential for widespread disaster at Xstrata‘s nearby Tampakan project.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=11405&l=1.

Protesters’ account and comments at N30, corporate greed, Xstrata and the right to protest, http://occupylsx.org/?p=1755.

See also:

http://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/Protesters-storm-London-HQ-of-Xstrata-P4MS7?opendocument&src=rss

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-15967800 and

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/nov/30/occupy-activists-xstrata-hq-london

Xstrata’s Tampakan mine attacked by community in Philippines

There has been another armed attack on Xstrata’s Tampakan mine, allegedly by “bandits” – actually community members who feel they have had no choice but to defend their lands.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=11337&l=1 and scroll down for information on Tampakan.

Strike at Xstrata-Anglo American mine in Chile

The Collahuasi mine is 44% owned by Xstrata and 44% by Anglo American.

See http://www.bnamericas.com/news/mining/collahuasi-implements-contingency-plan-amidst-strike/276303551.

The Tampakan project is extremely controversial. For background, see http://londonminingnetwork.org/?s=tampakan.

Read the ambassador’s blog at http://blogs.fco.gov.uk/stephenlillie/2011/11/17/responsible-mining-in-the-philippines/.

There is more fall-out from the murder of Fr. Fausto ‘Pops’ Tentorio, as the investigators pursue “anti-mining” motives for his murder. Fr Fausto opposed Xstrata’s Tampakan project.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=11298.

See http://www.sisterraquel.com/2011/10/eastwind-journals-02.

See also: open letter to President Aquino and Xstrata.

This open letter to President Aquino explains the grave danger of an environmental mega-disaster if he approves Xstrata-SMI’s mining project, the biggest in Philippine history. The tailings mega- dam, located at a mountain top, sits directly below a seismic fault, located at a very high altitude. If the dam bursts, 1.1 billion metric tons of toxic mud will drain into 6 rivers in 4 provinces, causing irreversible damage.

http://www.sisterraquel.com/2011/11/eastwind-journals-03

Elsewhere in the Philippines there was a victory for community opposition to mining, as the Canadian company, Ivanhoe, 49% owned by London-listed Rio Tinto, has withdrawn its plans to explore copper-gold prospects in the province of Romblon. In taking this decision, Ivanhoe cited the “strong opposition of local politicians” to its copper-gold prospects.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/11258.

There are many reasons for this – not least that, if it goes ahead, the mine will become the largest in the Philippines. But there are many specific problems with the project, and these have mobilised civil society, leading to the local provincial government enacting a ban on open-pit mining. Independent experts have criticised the company’s Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) on behalf of local people opposing the project.

This team comprises local and national professionals, partnered by Clive Wicks and Robert Goodland on behalf of the UK-based Working Group on Mining in the Philippines. A huge public meeting was held where Clive Wicks spoke directly to local stakeholders, and challenged the company over the contents of the team’s report, particularly by quantifying the costs of worst case scenarios.

Dramatising one of the problems dogging this project, a company employee – one responsible for land acquisition – has been shot dead.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=11212&l=1.

As usual government officials and industry bigwigs queued up to praise the state of the industry. And – as usual – vocal protestors stood up to denounce the state of the industry. Indigenous leaders were at the forefront of these protests.

An indigenous Congressman, Teddy Brawner Baguilat, stated “that mining has led to the impairment of the rights and culture of indigenous communities.”, particularly because mining companies have exerted undue influence over the legal process of “free, prior and informed consent”.

Among London-listed companies involved in the Philippines is Xstrata.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/11188.

Even as rescuers struggled through the mud, the military were destroying the miners’ houses to stop them returning – and arguments over mining became re-ignited.

Local and national government are looking at how they can regulate, or more likely ban, small-scale miners from dangerous areas. However, as the Catholic Church and environmental NGOs point out, the government is still seeking to license large-scale miners in place of the artisanal miners: how much better would these companies be in dealing with such difficult tropical conditions?

The disaster  happened in the region of Xstrata‘s planned Tampakan project. The companies involved in Tampakan continue to lobby for lifting  the open-pit mining ban that would affect the project. It has also occurred on the island where tribal leaders have recently reiterated their call for the end of large-scale mining activities, believing it will lead the destruction of ancestral domain, environment, and life.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=10894.

London-listed Xstrata, the fourth-largest copper producer in the world, through its local affiliate Sagittarius Mines Inc (SMI), hopes Tampakan will produce an average of 340,000 metric tons of copper and 350,000 ounces of gold every year for 20 years from an open pit 3km long, 2.5km wide and eventually 800m deep.

But to get to that point Xstrata must first deal with a complex mosaic of local politics, tribal and village interests, landowners and farmers, opposition from the Church, NGOs, as well as a violent local culture where gunslinging is commonplace.

See article in Philippine campaigners are not on Minister’s page at http://www.minesandcommunities.org/10844.

UK companies involved on Pawalan include Toledo Mining and European Nickel.

See http://no2mininginpalawan.com/2011/02/28/hello-world/.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=10775.

The fiercest arguments around this issue are in South Cotabato, where a ban is supposedly already in place as part of an environmental code passed by the provincial government. However,  questions have been raised as to how legal it is (whether it trumps the 1995 national mining code or vice versa). If a ban were imposed in the province it would knock out Xstrata‘s Tampakan project – potentially the biggest mine in the country. Nonetheless the London- and Toronto-listed company is pushing the enterprise forward regardless. Xstrata was recently backed in this by visiting diplomats from the UK, Switzerland and Australia (where Xstrata’s copper unit is based).

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=10705.

Although the attack was initially attributed to the communist New People’s Army (NPA), once again the source of conflict appears to be the resistance of local people to the mining project. Members of the B’laan tribe have frequently asserted their right to defend themselves against company encroachment on their land (even if this is less well reported than NPA violence and extortion).

This incident follows a 4-day march by local activists against the project, and more fall-out from the continuing battle between the local & national government over whether the province’s ban on open-cast mining will apply to the project.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=10621.