Hold big mining responsible—Ka­li­ka­san

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This article is available in Pilipino

GROUPS KALIKASAN AND Cordillera People’s Alliance are demanding to hold big mining companies responsible for the landslides in Barangay Ucab, Itogon, Benguet during the height of typhoon Ompong last Septembre 15 and in Naga, Cebu on September 20.

Latest tallies indicate that around 69 have died while 43 others are still missing after the mass of soil from an abandoned open-pit mine of the Benguet Corporation in Antapok, Itogon eroded, burying the community of smallscale miners located at the foot of the hill. It is wrong to blame the small-scale miners as the cause of the landslide, Kalikasan said, as it was the Benguet Corporation which drilled big tunnels in the area. Small-scale miners are also in contract with the company under in its Acupan Contract Mining Project. Benguet Corporation is owned by the Romualdez family.

Meanwhile, 52 have died while dozens are still missing in Barangay Tinaan, Naga, Cebu after a landslide in the quarry site of Apo Land and Quarry Corporation. The said company supplies limestone to Cemex Holding Philippines. Cemex Holding supplies is among the major suppliers of cement for the regime’s Build-Build-Build program. The limestones mined by the former are processed in plants of the latter to manufacture cement.

Hold big mining responsible—Ka­li­ka­san