“Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell.”
(Numbers 35:34)
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| The organization Alyansa Tigil Mina reported that the sulphide dam of a Zamboanga del Norte mine operated by a Canadian firm collapsed in July after heavy rains |
Some sectors, especially the mining industry, probably find the Catholic Church’s stance against the Mining Act hard to comprehend in light of the country’s economic needs, but the position enunciated by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines cannot be ignored. “We are fighting for the integrity of creation,” one bishop explains, pointing out that the preservation of the environment is a universal concern that the Church, as a steward of God’s creations, must address.
“When God created the world, He created many parts, but all the parts make one integral being and all the parts are interrelated. What happens to one part will affect the other parts. Nothing goes nowhere, everything goes somewhere. There is a principle of interrelatedness or the communion of all beings,” explains the bishop. “The other principle is the principle of unity, oneness. The entire universe is moving towards God.”
ethics of the earth
The CBCP fully understands the people’s need for a better life, but it believes that there are “geo-ethical” means for improving people’s lives. According to the bishop, geo-ethical refers to the “ethics of the earth” and has to do with what is right or wrong in human activities affecting the planet we live in.
Applied to mining therefore, the Church believes that mining activities can be right or wrong depending on a number of factors, one of which is their effect on the environment. When a mining firm’s operations are harmful to the environment, even if these operations will bring great profit to the country, they will also bring about worse problems, the Church maintains.
Geo-ethical mining
The Church is not opposed to mining activities under
certain conditions |
| when the site has a low-permeability foundation and a
stable geomorphic environment, which means the site is safe
when the ecological balance is not destroyed and the
surroundings are not contaminated by toxic wastes
when social justice is served and the main benefits of the
mining activities redound to Filipinos
when the capitalization of the projects is in accordance
with the proportion described by law and local capital is
accorded a level playing field
when cultural values are not sacrificed, so that traditional
cultures are in harmony with nature
when ancestral lands are not expropriated without just
compensation or in disregard of religious sensibilities
when extreme care is taken to prevent or minimize the risk
of serious accidents
when population displacement is managed through
humane and equitable relocation, and as much as
possible conducted without physical force and violence
when the advantages of such activities are not confined
to a few but reach the majority they are meant to benefit |
For instance, minerals are nonrenewable resources. If they are depleted by mining, there is no way they can be replaced or restored. The Church looks unfavorably upon this in the light of its teaching that people are merely stewards, not owners, of the earth who are called to nurture, protect, and use responsibly the world’s resources. The bishop also cites the principle of diversity. “Although we are one, there are different parts. Each specie is very important. And when one specie is lost, the richness suffers.”
social costs
The Church is equally concerned about the effects of mining activities on surrounding communities. There have been recorded cases of residents being displaced by mining activities or being exposed to harmful elements. There are also reports that some mining firms subject their workers to hazardous or extreme conditions in the mines, or do not provide the miners proper compensation. In some mining communities, the cultural fabric of indigenous tribes is being destroyed by the entry of foreign corporations. The Church emphasizes that the social costs of mining have to be carefully weighed against its benefits.
“Our experiences of environmental tragedies and incidents with the mining transnational corporations belie all assurances of sustainable and responsible mining that the Arroyo administration is claiming. Increasing number of mining-affected communities, Christians and non-Christians alike, are subjected to human rights violations and economic deprivations. We see no relief in sight,” the CBCP has said in a statement.
life above all else
The bishops maintain that mining projects that cannot absorb their environmental and social costs should not be allowed to proceed. They clarify, however, that they are not against mining per se. In fact, the Church has pointed out under what conditions geo-ethical mining activities may be pursued. In the end, the Church’s guiding principle is that human life always takes precedence above all, and thus no human institution can ignore the ethical or moral dimension of any activity affecting life on earth.
