Fascist violence and deception go hand in hand with imperialist mining in Samar
Militarization has intensified in the towns of San Jose de Buan, San Jorge, Matuguinao, Oras, Paranas, Can-avid, Motiong, Jiabong, Dolores and Maslog in Samar island, with peasants in the last four towns suffering the largest number of human rights violations. This is also where planned mining operations in the island are to be concentrated.
No less than the Armed Forces of the Philippines has admitted that the intense military operations are actually clearing operations for planned "development projects" which are none other than large-scale mining operations in the island to be led by imperialist corporations.
Bauxite Resources, Inc. (BRI) and Alumina Mining of the Philippines, Inc. (AMPI) have already begun active mining exploration. Meanwhile, 16 other companies are just waiting for their applications to be approved before embarking on exploration activities. Once given the go-signal, their operations will cover 86,700 hectares.
There were likewise 30 companies that filed applications in 2003 to launch mining operations in 97,256 hectares of Leyte.
BRI�s operations cover San Jose de Buan, Matuguinao, San Jorge and Gandara towns, while those of AMPI cover the municipalities of Motiong, Hinabangan and Paranas, all in Western Samar. Their concessions cover an overall area of 12,000 hectares.
BRI, AMPI and other applicants are extremely interested in Samar's bauxite deposits. Bauxite is the chief source of aluminum. At 242 million tons, Samar has the richest bauxite deposits not only in the Philippines but in the whole of Asia. The deposits are concentrated in the forested and kaigangan areas (where sharp limestone rocks abound) in the heart of Samar. In 2002, the overall value of these deposits was placed at $21 billion, according to conservative estimates by World Metal Statistics. Aluminum is used in manufacturing airplanes, trains, cars, ships, tanks and other vehicles, cooking ware, machine parts and electric cables, among others.
This early, one can foresee the damage that large-scale mining will bring to the island. First, a common means of mining bauxite is strip mining (as opposed to digging tunnels) where soil is excavated to reach mineral deposits near the surface of the earth. Strip mining will destroy everything on the surface such as the kaigangan areas, which can no longer be restored. It is likewise difficult to cultivate anything in areas that have been strip mined since the excavation removes the most fertile part of the soil.
The headwaters for Samar's 25 major rivers are likewise located within the 86,700-hectare area targeted by mining applicants. Once pollution strikes as a result of toxic mine tailings thrown in, it will affect not only the rivers but also the coastal waters where these rivers empty�the Pacific Ocean in the eastern part of the island, the Samar Sea in the northeast and Maqueda Bay in the southeast�all of them major fishing grounds in the Philippines and Asia.
Aside from the violence of militarization, the imperialists and the reactionary state also utilize groups and programs that claim to have concern for, and defend, the environment such as the Samar Island Biodiversity Project (SIBP), in order to divert the people's attention from the more important issues related to imperialist mining.
The SIBP is a program established in July 2001 by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) with grants from various foreign agencies such as USAID and the Rockefeller Group of Companies. The SIBP's avowed objective is to preserve 470,000 hectares of forestland at the heart of Samar, an area it has dubbed the Samar Island National Park (SINP). The SINP's implementation will entail the expulsion of the people who live in and eke out a living from the area, which covers parts of 28 municipalities in Samar's three provinces. The SIBP has neither the programs nor the funds to provide livelihood alternatives to the hundreds of thousands of people who will be displaced by this project. However, when the BRI and the AMPI filed applications for Mineral Production Sharing Agreements (MPSA) in May 2002, the DENR approved them that same year, and in the same breath exempted from its planned forest preserve, areas with the richest bauxite deposits, including the BRI and AMPI concessions.
The SIBP does not have the wherewithal to oppose the planned mining operations and has in fact been ordered by the reactionary government not to interfere with these plans.
The Arroyo regime is determined to intensify mining operations by foreign corporations in the Philippines to acquire an additional source of funds. In exchange, these companies will be enjoying various incentives such as tax holidays where they pay only minimal taxes for up to 10 years; 100% capital and profit repatriation; the right to any water and timber found within their concessions; and the right to evict anyone living in these areas.
Violence and deception are the Arroyo regime's twin weapons against the people in its sordid scheme to auction off the national patrimony to foreigners. In Samar and other parts of the country presently being ravaged, or under threat of being devastated by, imperialist mining companies, the people have no other recourse but to unite firmly and wage all-out struggle.
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