Catholic Bishops’ Representatives visit – in opening of dialogue
Atty. Pablo Bernardo (standing), Siocon Subano Association, Inc., (SSAI) legal counsel, fields questions from representatives of the Bishops of England and Wales and the Bishops of Dipolog at the SSAI office in Ambaan Village, Canatuan. He appealed to the visitors to
TVI Canatuan’s second Ball Mill and new primary Crusher – installed to implement the latest expansion of the Canatuan Project – were “dedicated” on November 1st in rites officiated by members of the Council of Elders of the local Subanon Indigenous People (IP) tribe … and witnessed by representatives of the Bishop of Dipolog and the Bishops of England and Wales.
The dedication rites served to highlight the first of a three-day Siocon observation tour of the bishops’ representatives – a tour which included interviews with the Subanon Council of Elders led by Juanito Tumangkis and Atty. Pablo Bernardo, with non-IP residents of Canatuan, and with TVI officials Eugene Mateo and Mine Manager Yulo Perez, among others. The representatives likewise toured the mine area, mill plant, as well as tailings dam and diversion dam facilities.
TVI welcomed the visit, as a way to respond – by actual observation and dialogue – to concerns raised by elements of the Church about mining in general and Canatuan in particular. TVI has always maintained an Open Door policy at Canatuan: when people actually visit the project, their views are much different than the criticisms carried in the media and on the internet.
“We think that you are in compliance with the law here,” Carino Antequisa, the Iligan-based local representative of the Bishops of England and Wales, said, referring to TVI’s environmental protection and preservation initiatives.
“It is a propitious time for the Catholic church and anti-mining NGOs on one hand, and our company on the other to work together on issues like human rights and environment – issues that are important to both sides,” Mateo said. “We welcome your visit here.”
“We’re glad that you’re into social development,” Cathy Keable-Elliott said in reference to TVI’s community development initiatives for the Subanon community. She, however, encouraged company officials to ensure that its initiatives are sustainable.
“We are fully committed to sustainable development for our Subanon hosts, who have been so gracious to our company,” Perez stressed.
To that end, TVI has recently engaged the services of Green Earth Multi-Purpose Cooperative (GEMPCO), a renowned community development NGO in Southern Philippines, to assist the Siocon Subano Association, Inc. (SSAI), Canatuan’s official IP organization, in the preparation of the Ancestral Domain Sustainable Development Plan for its Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) area in Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte. This initiative is the company’s move to “Phase II” in its Community Development programs; having focused initially on education, health care and training, TVI is now working on Sustainable Development for the long term.
Other concerns for the future raised by the bishops’ representatives based on their interviews with Canatuan residents include gender equality issues (e.g., right of women to be consulted on ancestral domain matters), long-term future of the remaining small-scale mining (SSM), cultural traditions vis-?
