As Dipolog Bishop Jose Manguiran leads inter-faith `re-consecration’ rites in Canatuan
Dipolog Bishop Jose Manguiran: a staunch anti-mining advocate.
An inter-faith group of some 200 demonstrators led by Bishop Jose R. Manguiran of the Diocese of Dipolog conducted a prayer rally at the Canatuan Project site of TVI Resource Development Phils., Inc. (TVIRD) to “re-consecrate” the mine area and protest the presence of the company in this sitio of Barangay Tabayo in Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte. The demonstrators were allowed entry into the Subanon indigenous community that hosts the mine facility by the Siocon Subano Association, Inc. (SSAI), the legal representative of the Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) holders of Canatuan.
The re-consecration rites were premised on the rallyists’ belief that Mt. Canatuan is a Subanon sacred mountain – a claim made by former tribe leaders who were repudiated by their community in large part because of their links to illegal small-scale miners that operated in Canatuan prior to TVIRD.
The prayer rally was held at the Gossan Dam area, participated in by Roman Catholic, Protestant , and Muslim clerics, as well as by Subanon tribal chiefs led by former SSAI president Jose Anoy. Siocon Mayor Ceasar Soriano also joined his constituents in the rally.
TVIRD holds a Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) with the Philippine government, which covers an area of 508.34 hectares within Canatuan. The company also secured free, prior and informed consent from the Subanon through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with SSAI for the development of Canatuan as a gesture of good faith and affirmative action despite the fact that TVIRD secured its MPSA prior to the issuance of CADT to the Subanon.
Through the MOU and the subsequent Memorandum of Agreement with TVIRD, the Subanon manifested their recogntion and respect to the prior mining rights of the company in the area covered by the CADT and guaranteed the free and unlimited access for exploration and operations.
The Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA Law) provides that IPs have the right to use their lands as they see fit, including contracting with third parties for resource extraction and utilization.
An archaelogical assessment conducted by the Archaelogical, Cultural, Environmental Consultancy, Inc. on behalf of the National Museum of the Philippines revealed that the areas affected by TVIRD’s mining operations are negative of any Subanon archaeological or cultural materials; there were no evidence found of any historic religious practice, ever, at Mt. Canatuan.
“We would rather that they leave us alone,” Juanito Tumangkis, SSAI president said. “Our partnership with TVIRD has yielded tremendous benefits to my people – benefits that were deprived us for ages. These demonstrators offer no viable alternative to this partnership. Where were they when we needed help before? If they believe that Canatuan is sacred, why did they allow the small-scale miners to operate here before? Why didn’t they lift a finger when our women and children were being abused by the small-scale miner regime through hard labor and starvation wages?”
Since TVIRD began operations in Canatuan in 2004, the company has paid some P25 million in tax and royalty payments, including some P6.3 million in royalties to SSAI. The operations have also proven to be an engine of socio-economic growth, providing some P400 million equivalent benefits through enhancement of economic activity from the cost of operating the mine, local purchases, wages and salaries, as well as social security and health funds.
Other benefits include employment (60% of the company’s 650 employees are Subanon), education, health care, agriculture and sustainable livelihood, indigenous people (IP) settlement, infrastructure, political and cultural independence and empowerment, as well as environmental management and protection.
The House Committee on National Cultural Communities has cleared TVIRD from allegations ranging from encroachment, IP displacement, as well as militarization following hearings prompted by a House Resolution. TVIRD has been able to debunk the allegations during the series of public hearings conducted from September 2005 to January this year.
“TVI has made a good start and is doing the right thing. The issues here are: `Who are the beneficiaries?’ and `How is their wealth to be managed?’ ” So stated Congressman Solomon Chungalao, Committee chairman during a recent visit to Canatuan. He also said the issues in the ancestral domain are internal to the Subanon, referring to the internal leadership dispute in the Tribe that Chungalao requested the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples to help resolve.
Siocon’s top official has also noticed TVIRD’s contributions to the development of his town. “People here are starting to feel, thus, and to recognize the significant contribution TVI can offer to Siocon’s economic vision,” said Mayor Ceasar Soriano. “TVI(RD) has silently been providing employment and have without demur assisted in the maintenance of the road connecting Siocon and Roselller T. Lim town (across the Zamboanga Peninsula). Undoubtedly, that road is also more secure with the company’s security arrangements.”
