Catanduanes folk told: Be wary of job offers

MANILA, Philippines—Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes said residents should not be tempted by offer of jobs by mining companies since these are but brief employment.

“They need to keep in mind that whatever jobs they (mining firms) are offering are only for a short while. They should also think of the long-term effect of the mining activities in their area,” he said.

Bastes, who headed a fact-finding commission that looked into the disastrous Lafayette mining spill in Rapu-Rapu, Albay, a few years ago, said all mining activities had only resulted in the destruction of the environment and tragic results for the community.

“Once you engage in mining, it only destroys the land. There is nowhere to go but destruction,” he added.

Bastes said all the bishops in Bicol were behind Bishop Manolo de los Santos of the Diocese of Virac in campaigning against the plan to extract coal worth P6.2 billion in Catanduanes.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has repeatedly made known its opposition to large-scale mining.

On Dec. 8, 2008, the CBCP issued a pastoral letter titled “Upholding the Sanctity of Life,” calling on the Arroyo administration to immediately halt mining operations due to the “uncontrollable plunder” of the country’s natural resources.

CBCP seeks moratorium

It has been 20 years since the CBCP last issued a pastoral letter on the environment titled “What is happening to our beautiful land?”

The CBCP called for a moratorium on mining activities “until the government and the mining companies learn to uphold the right of the indigenous peoples, compensate the affected communities for past damages and ensure responsible mining activities.”

The CBCP went on to assail the mining industry for its “poor record of community accountability.”

It said mining companies “have systematically engaged in the rape of Mother Earth and left a legacy of impoverished communities and environmental despoliation.”

The bishops said the government had compromised the country’s long-term development goals due to its “uncontrolled and poorly-regulated exploitation” of mineral resources.

The CBCP also called for a total ban against commercial logging. “The challenge to preserve our beautiful land may be difficult but not impossible,” it said, adding “no material gain can equate the value of life.” –Dona Pazzibugan, Philippine Daily Inquirer