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Locals say no to BHP Billiton's Pujada Bay nickel mining activities
BHPB Billiton is currently involved in exploring for nickel on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. Mining activities in the Philippines are highly controversial and often involve strongly and uncompromising opposition from civil society and local communities intent on defending their resources and environments.
BHP Billiton looks set to face the same fate in the Philippines as its latest takeover victim, Western Mining Company, in its efforts to secure mineral resources from Pujada Bay. WMC was prevented from developing the Tampakan project in the Philippines in the 90s after local communites firmly opposed the project.
During the AGM held in London in October this year, Don Argus made a blanket denial of any local opposition to the Pujada Bay Area. He claimed that BHPB staff had been sent to investigate the project and met with ‘the community’ and confirmed widespread support for the project. However, leading up to the annual general meeting in Sydney, over 800 local residents who received notification of Argus’s AGM claims have signed a petition indicating that they are in opposition to the project and calling upon BHP Billiton’s withdrawal from the Pujada Bay area.
The letter states
"We alarmed by these developments. We are not a mining community. We live in the abudance of Pujada Bay, a protected seascape and landscape and Mt Hamiguitan, another protected area. Unfortunately the area you are planning to invest sits in these very sensitive environment.(sic)"
"This is amid the fact that the majority of the local government units (LGU's) in the covered areas have already passed their respective resolutions vehemently opposing the entry of the mining operations"
Background on Pujuda Bay and the Proposals for Nickel Mining
Evidence suggests that the mining proposals that have been granted are unlawful, but that is only one of a series of issues that make mining in Pujada Bay a problematic proposal. Exploration licenses have been granted in the Pujada Bay area in the Philippines to seven domestic companies under the umbrella of Asiaticus Management Corporation (AMCOR), and it has been reported that BHP Billiton is providing financial and other support to these companies.
Mining on a Fault Line
The Pujada region is delineated in the revised geology of the Philippines as on the “Pacific-Cordillera” fault line. Two branches of the active fault line flank the watershed on the southwest and the southeast. This area has been subjected to intense seismic activities, making containment of waste highly risky if not impossible. Inside and outside of the areas granted for mining live communities largely dependent upon their natural environment for livelihood.
Local Level Governments Pass Resolutions Against Mining
Approval for the leases was given without consent of two of the three local level government units, contrary to the requirements of the Local Level Government Code. The local level government municipalities of San Isidro and Governor Generso have both opposed the mining activities outright through resolutions passed at council meetings, and it is reported that letters that have recently been sent to the BHP Billiton Chair by the mayors of each of these units stating as much.
Proposals Overlap with Protected Forests In Violation of Philippines Law
The areas granted overlap with protected areas and the habitat of rare species. These protected areas including the Mt. Hamiguitan Range and Wildlife Sanctuary. The sanctuary is home to more or less a hundred hectares of pygmy forests, exotic plants and wild animals. It is the habitat of the Philippine Eagle. Rattan, timber and non-timber products are the sources of community livelihoods and are found here. These areas are closed to mining pursuant to Sec. 19 of the Philippine Mining Act of 1995, otherwise known as Republic Act 7942 (RA 7942). and this was not disclosed in the application for the leases. The mineral agreements inaccurately, and potentially fraudulently state that “There are no rare or unusual plant species which can be affected by the exploration activities…” or “There are no rare wildlife species of animals which can be affected by the project implementation."
Pujada Bay is also a protected seascape and landscape by virtue of Presidential Proclamation 431. A biodiversity hotspot, it hosts endangered species such as the seacow, sea turtles, and sting rays.
Rivers, Water Supplies and Coastal Subsistence Resources at Risk
The leases overlap the five (5) major drainage systems and watershed found in the Mt. Hamiguitan Range. The major streams either drain towards the Pujada Bay, or the Davao Gulf. These bodies of freshwater are the main source of water supply for domestic use of the community living within the area. Impacts on water supply from exploration near a town called Magum have already led to a backlash and overwhelming opposition to the mining in this area. Pujada Bay is the major source of livelihood of the coastal communities, with thousands of families gaining subsistence livelihood as fishermen.
Growing Opposition in Local Communites
Local community opposition is growing, particularly in the area of Magum where residential water supplies, (coming from the major tributaries of Mt Hamguitan) have already been affected. The locals are complaining that their creek (which provides water supply for domestic use and for domestic animals) is smelling of crude oil. While people in this area had not previously been strongly against the mining, these impacts in the early sages of exploration have turned most of the people against the mining proposals.
800 Strong Petition Calls for BHP Billiton to Pull Out
In response to statements made by Don Argus last month at the AGM in London that there was widespread support for the mining, over 800 residents from across the three municipalities have sent a petition to the company expressing their opposition to the mining activities requesting BHP Billiton to pull out of the project and halt its operations in the region. The petition is presented by ‘”farmers and fisherfolk who are dependent on the coastal and marine resources as well as on the forest products on the Pujada Pensinula.“
For more information, please contact:
Techa Beaumont
Executive Director
Workphone: +61 2 9557 9019
Mobile: +61 (0) 409 318 406
Created: 24 Nov 2005 | Last updated: 24 Nov 2005
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