British MP shocked at mining destruction in the Philippines
-15/08/06
British Member o
British MP shocked at mining destruction in the Philippines
-15/08/06
British Member of Parliament Clare Short has vowed to take a stand against destructive mining practices following a recent 10-day church-backed fact-finding trip to the Philippines.
The MP for Birmingham Ladywood said she was shocked and appalled by the level of environmental, social and cultural damage mining companies have caused in the country.
Members of the delegation were Clive Wicks (World Conservation Union), Carino Antequisa (CAFOD Country Representative), Clare Short MP, Cathal Doyle (Irish Centre for Human Rights) and Fr Frank Nally (Columban Fathers).
Clare Short declared: ìI have never seen anything so systematically destructive as the mining programme in the Philippines. The environmental effects are catastrophic as are the effects on peopleís livelihoods.î
Ms Short met with communities affected by mining, particularly gold mining, and heard how they had been moved off their lands and indigenous peoplesí legal right to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent ignored.
The MP saw polluted rivers, destroyed mangrove forests, damaged coral and damaged agriculture. She felt that ìa decent strategy is needed for mining which takes in the criteria for sustainable developmentî.
She told the Catholic Fund for Overseas Development that both the Philippines Government and the mining companies are failing to comply with national laws and international standards and the country is in danger of losing its rich biodiversity as well as destroying indigenous cultures.
The World Bank in the Philippines has supported large scale mining and the Philippines Government is actively promoting mining as a means to address poverty in the country.
Some of the companies involved are based in the UK, and increasingly money from the City of London is being used to fund these disastrous projects.
However, Short says she found scant evidence of mining benefiting local people or the countryís economy as a whole. She said she had seen how mining is destroying peopleís livelihoods and also that it is difficult to find accurate figures on how much of the mining companiesí money remains in the country.
Ms Short has expressed support for the Catholic Bishopsí Conference of the Philippines, which has been vocal in public opposition to the countryís Mining Act and local mining practices.
A recent CAFOD report, ëUnearth Justice: Counting the cost of goldí, exposed the negative impacts of gold mining internationally. CAFODís Unearth Justice campaign aims to raise awareness of the effects of gold mining on developing countries, such as the Philippines, and is calling on people in the UK to press key players in the mining industry for higher environmental and social standards in the mining industry worldwide.
The fact finding team is preparing a report on the visit which will be available in mid-September 2006.
[Also on Ekklesia: CAFOD exposes the dark side of gold mining; Australian churches line up to oppose uranium mining; US mining disaster hope turns to anger in local church; Gold giant clashes with Chilean farmers and church groups; Making indigenous poverty history in Australia; Australian Catholics seek support for Aboriginal people; Churches call for investigation into Philippines killings; Green Cardinal issues an apology to the planet; Church worker killings continue in the Philippines; Christian charity says children still illegally imprisoned in the Philippines;Aid workers trek through 38 landslides]
British MP shocked at mining destruction in the Philippines
-15/08/06
British Member of Parliament Clare Short has vowed to take a stand against destructive mining practices following a recent 10-day church-backed fact-finding trip to the Philippines.
The MP for Birmingham Ladywood said she was shocked and appalled by the level of environmental, social and cultural damage mining companies have caused in the country.
Members of the delegation were Clive Wicks (World Conservation Union), Carino Antequisa (CAFOD Country Representative), Clare Short MP, Cathal Doyle (Irish Centre for Human Rights) and Fr Frank Nally (Columban Fathers).
Clare Short declared: ìI have never seen anything so systematically destructive as the mining programme in the Philippines. The environmental effects are catastrophic as are the effects on peopleís livelihoods.î
Ms Short met with communities affected by mining, particularly gold mining, and heard how they had been moved off their lands and indigenous peoplesí legal right to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent ignored.
The MP saw polluted rivers, destroyed mangrove forests, damaged coral and damaged agriculture. She felt that ìa decent strategy is needed for mining which takes in the criteria for sustainable developmentî.
She told the Catholic Fund for Overseas Development that both the Philippines Government and the mining companies are failing to comply with national laws and international standards and the country is in danger of losing its rich biodiversity as well as destroying indigenous cultures.
The World Bank in the Philippines has supported large scale mining and the Philippines Government is actively promoting mining as a means to address poverty in the country.
Some of the companies involved are based in the UK, and increasingly money from the City of London is being used to fund these disastrous projects.
However, Short says she found scant evidence of mining benefiting local people or the countryís economy as a whole. She said she had seen how mining is destroying peopleís livelihoods and also that it is difficult to find accurate figures on how much of the mining companiesí money remains in the country.
Ms Short has expressed support for the Catholic Bishopsí Conference of the Philippines, which has been vocal in public opposition to the countryís Mining Act and local mining practices.
A recent CAFOD report, ëUnearth Justice: Counting the cost of goldí, exposed the negative impacts of gold mining internationally. CAFODís Unearth Justice campaign aims to raise awareness of the effects of gold mining on developing countries, such as the Philippines, and is calling on people in the UK to press key players in the mining industry for higher environmental and social standards in the mining industry worldwide.
The fact finding team is preparing a report on the visit which will be available in mid-September 2006.
[Also on Ekklesia: CAFOD exposes the dark side of gold mining; Australian churches line up to oppose uranium mining; US mining disaster hope turns to anger in local church; Gold giant clashes with Chilean farmers and church groups; Making indigenous poverty history in Australia; Australian Catholics seek support for Aboriginal people; Churches call for investigation into Philippines killings; Green Cardinal issues an apology to the planet; Church worker killings continue in the Philippines; Christian charity says children still illegally imprisoned in the Philippines;Aid workers trek through 38 landslides]