No to ‘revolutionary taxes’ —Chamber of Mines

The Chamber of Mines of the Philippines is calling on its members to stand their ground and just say no to “revolutionary taxes" extorted by insurgent groups who threaten to commit more atrocities to disrupt mining operations. “As a reiteration of our adherence to the principles of responsible mining and good governance, we wish to underscore that our member-companies will never succumb to pressures of whatever form to pay the rebels’ so-called ‘revolutionary taxes’," the mining group said in a statement. The mining group was alarmed over insurgent groups’ attacks on three mining firms in Mindanao. The rebels said that the attacks were in retaliation for the mining companies’ alleged destruction of the environment. Communist rebels on Monday attacked three mining firms in Surigao del Norte, killing several security guards, burning buildings, destroying mining equipment, and sinking barges. The Chamber also alleged that the insurgents had only hitched on the bandwagon of the Palawan anti-mining movement of groups identified with the left. Mining industry leaders noted that in the past nine months, the “Save Palawan Movement" has promoted its advocacy to the point that the communist New People’s Army now justifies attacking mining firms to purportedly protect of the environment. But the Chamber maintained that its members will keep striving to minimize the negative impact of mining activities, products and services on the environment, on people and on communities where mining firms operate. The Chamber also said it upholds the human rights of all stakeholders, especially in mining communities, and remains the Filipino people’s partner in job creation and livelihood promotion, educational advancement, community development, health and sanitation, infrastructure, increased government revenues, and poverty alleviation. The Chamber said that its members religiously pay the right amount of taxes and only to the duly-constituted government. “Even as we ask the Aquino Administration to provide protection for investments in minerals developments – a major component of the Medium-Term Development Plan – we are heartened by the assurances of President Benigno C. Aquino III, through Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa, Jr. and Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo, that the perpetrators of the recent attack will be brought to justice," the Chamber said. “We also ask the Palawan anti-mining movement to refrain from spreading half-truths and outright lies in its shotgun approach to stop minerals development not only in Palawan but, effectively, in the whole country as well." — MRT/ELR, GMA News