People’s Court finds Xstrata, partner guilty of environment abuse

A rebel court has ordered the ‘arrest’ of executives of a mining firm and its local partner operating in Mindanao, after finding them guilty of abusing the environment and local residents. The People’s Court of Far South Mindanao ordered the New People’s Army (NPA) to ‘arrest’ officers of Swiss miner XStrata plc and top-level representatives of local partner Sagittarius Mines, Inc. The People’s Court issued an en banc resolution finding Xstrata and Sagittarius Mines guilty "for the continuing plunder of our natural resources and [for] causing irreversible damage to the watersheds and the major river systems in south central Mindanao," the National Democratic Front Far South Mindanao said in a statement on the Communist Party of the Philippines Website "While still in their so-called exploration stage, the company has already caused damage on the fragile ecosystem…, destroyed mountains and are forcing tribal residents to leave their ancestral lands and find livelihood elsewhere," it said. It said Xstrata’s large-scale open pit mining will net it billions of dollars but leave Filipinos "nothing but dust, industrial waste and environmental ruin, which would affect not just us but the next generations." The group added that Xstrata-Sagittarius Mines’ large scale mining is damaging watersheds and major river systems in the provinces of South Cotabato, Davao del Sur, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani. In Davao del Sur, the NDF said the company is building its tailing pond right within the watersheds near Mal River, which would contaminate and destroy two national and 19 communal irrigation systems and the livelihood of at least 9,000 farmers. "The same will happen to Koronadal Valley because the Koronadal watershed will also be affected by the open pit mines. At stake is the food security of Mindanao’s rice granaries. No less than the Davao City and Davao del Sur Federation of Irrigators Association has passed a resolution strongly opposing the mining operations of Xstrata-SMI," it said. The Catholic Church had also opposed the company’s operations, it pointed out. "Even more stringent is the clamor of residents who want the company out. But Xstrata-SMI has remained deaf to the people’s voice," it added. Not content with mining, the NDF said Xstrata also plans to build a coal-fired power plant in Malalag town, Davao del Sur, which would produce the electricity needed for the company’s operations. It said a coal-fired power plant is another dirty industry that will harm the people living around Malalag Bay. "It will also contaminate the bay, which is the source of livelihood of at least 30,000 fisherfolk," it added. Company officials were not immediately available for comment. — NPA, GMANews.TV