Sagittarius, Environment groups slug it out over Tampakan

Mining operations at the largest untapped copper and gold reserves in Southeast Asia still haven't started, and environmental advocates are doing all they can to forestall the Tampakan project in Mindanao. Project operator Sagittarius Mines Inc. keeps on fending off against such attempts, saying the $5.2-billion concern is a win-win situation for both residents and companies in the area. The Tampakan project — a joint venture of Sagittarius Mines, Xstrata Copper (62.5 percent), Indophil Resources NL (34.2 percent), and Alsons Corp. (3.3 percent) — is in its development stage. Actual mining operations are expected to start by 2016. Environment groups recently issued the initial results of a study on possible repercussions the Tampakan project may have on the environment, economy, and society, considering that it covers 31,599.64 hectares within the bounds of Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato, Sarangani Province, and Davao del Sur. Among these groups are Kalikasan Peoples Network for the Environment, Center for Environmental Concerns Philippines, Advocates of Science and Technology for the People, Kalipunan ng mga Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas, and Defend Patrimony! Alliance. They found that Sagittarius Mines would contribute significantly to the deterioration of health of some inhabitants in Columbio, Sultan Kudarat, where a part of the open pit mining would be located, and Malalag, Davao del Sur, where the port and power facilities would be built. Latest data from Sagittarius Mines showed that the Tampakan project involves 2.4 billion tons of minerals, containing an estimated 13.5 million tons of copper and 15.8 million ounces of gold. Main water sources University of the Philippines geologist Catherine Abon noted that the main water sources of Sultan Kudarat and Davao del Sur "flow from the mountainous areas where the mine operation would be situated." But John Arnaldo, corporate communications manager of Sagittarius Mines, said in an interview with GMANews.TV that the firm has been continuously doing environment and social impact assessments of the Tampakan project. "This assessment has been costing us much to address the concerns of all the stakeholders, whether it concerns health, social, or environmental issues" he said, claiming that there has been countless reforestation activities in the area in the past three years. "So there is no basis for the claims of some environmental groups that we are causing the deterioration of the entire mining site or community," Arnaldo said. Abon, who headed the team that looked into the possible impact of the mining operations on the project, explained that any "degradation in these areas will potentially result to the increased siltation of the rivers, decrease in the water level, and high risk of being contaminated by toxic materials coming from the mine operation upstream." Arnaldo, on the other hand, underscored that "all our mining facilities are not meant to disrupt water supplies and water quality. We live up to international standards, so we do things responsibly and seriously." The final result of the study of some environmental groups will be submitted any time this month to President Benigno Aquino III for review. The study may influence on the issuance of an environmental compliance certificate (ECC). The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has yet to issue an ECC before Sagittarius Mines can start full-blast development activities at Tampakan. Alter the landscape Agriculturist Feny Cosico meanwhile said the Tampakan project might affect the "economy and livelihood" of the people. "The glaring poverty, backward agriculture, and degraded lands would be further aggravated once mining operations become full-blown and drastically alter the landscape and affect the water quality in the area." For his part, Arnaldo quipped that these were lies coming from some environmental advocates, saying that providing the people access to education and livelihood promote the lives of the residents. If there would be a group of people deceived terribly by Sagittarius Mines, it is the B'laan tribe in Columbio in Sultan Kudarat, said Kalipunan ng mga Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas (KAMP), an association that supports indigenous peoples. The mining operator is extending livelihood incentives or supposedly "bribes" to the B'laan community to conceal the "negative impacts and other information about their operations," said Pia Malayao, KAMP spokesperson. She pointed out that Sagittarius Mines secured the free, informed and prior consent or FPIC through what she said was fraud "by resorting to giving favors to win the approval of the communities." Arnaldo said Sagittarius Mines was in close communication with several tribe chieftains whose ancestral domains were affected by the Tampakan development. "The companies always coordinate and engage with the indigenous peoples in everything that we do," he said. "How could that be a fraud?" he added. —VS, GMANews.TV