Hala Bira! :)

“General Angelo Reyes should either start mobilizing the DENR to protect the environment or immediately quit his post.”

 “The
country does not need an Environment Protection Commission just to
mobilize government and the private sector resources to put a stop to
the pollution and the destruction of our environment as Reyes wants.
Reyes on the other hand wants the full acceleration of foreign mining
projects that will essentially destroy our environment. Government
actually has a bias against the environment in favor of foreign
corporations,” Virador said.

Reports said that Lafayette did not provide a cyanide destruction circuit that would let the
tailings pass before it is pumped and stored in a dam among many
violations of its Environmental Compliance Certificate.

“Plainly,Lafayette is just like other foreign mining companies – cutting costs by not
following correct specifications to protect the environment. Foreign
mining corporations just get their papers in order and then proceed
with destructive mining operations. This is a particular reality that
the current Mining Act (Republic Act 7942) will never address. Even if
it is amended the nation’s porous justice system will permit the likes
of
Lafayette to operate,” Virador said.

“If
we are to really wisely use our finite mineral resources, better
measures and policies that favor our people and our fragile environment
must be introduced. We can start by supporting House Bill 3846 to
repeal the current Mining Act,” Virador said. #

Among the deceitful Malacañang agenda to amend the 1987
Constitution is to pave the way to intensified environment and economic
degradation due to liberalized mining.

We firmly believe that Arroyo’s charter change drive also
aims to add more teeth to the already notorious 1995 Philippine Mining Act
(Republic Act 7942), that the Supreme Court again affirmed last year. The
decision of the high tribunal declaring the constitutionality of Section 76 of
R.A. 7942 and its implementing rules and regulations was expected.

However, no amount of touted revenues and compensation can
pay for the permanent damage to the environment, the displacement of indigenous
communities, and the loss of lives and livelihood that will result from
large-scale mining.

It is frustrating that the lessons from our people’s tragic
experiences with large-scale foreign mining in Boac, Marinduque, Siocon,
Zamboanga del Norte, Rapu-rapu, Albay, Didipio, Nueva Vizcaya, Surigao del
Norte, and other areas are ignored by the national government. It should be
noted, however, that no measures have been put in place to reverse the
continuing damage to the environs and people of the said areas.

We challenge the Supreme Court justices to go to these areas
and see for themselves what the local communities have lost: indigenous
peoples’ ancestral domain, once productive farmlands, pristine rivers, and
marine ecosystems. This may help them see the anti-Filipino and
anti-environment nature of RA 7942.

The full-blown implementation of a liberalized, privatized,
and deregulated mining industry will come into reality once charter change has
been enacted. The constitutional overhaul will allow 100% foreign-ownership of
our lands and the exploitation of our natural resources. Charter change will actually
further open the country to unbridled foreign exploitation and plunder

Under the current Constitution, land ownership is reserved
for Filipinos so that our people should have the priority to develop our
resources for the good of the country.

The proposed Constitutional amendments for liberalization
will further aggravate landlessness, land-use conversion, the whole-sale
exploitation of our natural resources, food insecurity, and the destruction of
the environment. Filipinos will be deprived of the right to use the country’s
resources for their own benefit. Local industry and agriculture, which cannot
compete with big multinational companies, will also be destroyed.

We will heighten opposition to the Arroyo-engineered Charter
Change and continue to work for an alternative people’s mining policy. #

At whatever angle you look
at it, House Bill 4839 or the Anti-terrorism Bill, is patently atrocious and
defiant of all recognized statutes—every existing law, and no less than the
Constitution itself.

The Bill will invalidate
whatever gains we’ve made throughout history—the relative freedoms we now
enjoy, attained through countless blood spilled by our forebears and modern-day
martyrs who have fought and continue to struggle against tyranny and
oppression.

Defining terrorism would be
the same as calculating infinity. The bill’s definition illustrates the
whimsical, if not farcical, nature of the bill—encompassing even the most
natural of all human acts and functions. Perhaps by deliberately raising my
voice to stress my point, I would jolt my colleague from their comfortable
seats, and in the process strike panic and fear in their hearts. Would I then
be guilty of committing terrorism? Or if a movie house was to feature a horror
flick that would most certainly cause fear to a segment of the general public,
would its proprietor be liable under this bill?

To even proclaim that this
Bill is intended to preserve peace and security is like burning the house down
to prevent the arsonist from doing it himself. We valiantly venture out on a
quest, only to become the very same dragons we purportedly sought out to slay.
The bill claims to protect human rights but does exactly the opposite. In the
end, this Chamber is putting across the message that we are not here to
practice democracy, but merely preserve it.

The 13^th Congress
has been publicly identified as a rubberstamp of Malacañang—a notoriety it
gained during deliberations on Arroyo’s tax measures and the clobbered
impeachment proceedings. Taken in the context of the crisis in leadership
experienced by the current occupant in Malacañang, the public is inclined to
view the passage of Anti-terrorism law as a way to shield the beleaguered
President from her critics.

Considering its current
tendency to implement repressive measures, an anti-terror bill at this point
would be the pinnacle of despotism of the Arroyo regime. The law will transform
the whole nation into a police state. It is Proclamation 1017 institutionalized
and stripped-off its pretensions. Intended to quell public dissension against
an illegitimate President, the anti-terror bill becomes a self-interest bill
that should be fervently opposed.

That the bill is eerily
silent on State terrorism exposes its real objective of targeting and
preempting the government’s legitimate and legal political opponents. It does
not condemn or penalize the mass bombings of civilian communities by the AFP in

Mindanao

and in the countryside, despite easily fitting the
description of terrorist acts. It does not preclude political harassments,
abductions, and killings of activists but actually justifies and legalizes
their commission.

Approving this bill is
ultimately pandering to the whims of the

US

in its objective of consolidating its global
politico-military position. The

US

has been eagerly pushing for the enactment of this
bill not only in the

Philippines

but in other countries as well. It would surely be
in the interest of the Arroyo regime to preserve

US

favor in its moment of irredeemable crisis.

Mr. Speaker, I vote NO to
House Bill 4839.  

(I articulated this piece during the voting of HB 4839. It should be noted however, that I’m not alone in this struggle. Bayan Muna, since 12th Congress, has consistently stood against the passage of Anti-terrorism Bill.  In fact , all members of the Batasan 5 has voted no to the proposed notorious law.)

Virador:
Charter Change intended to defend anti-Filipino Mining Act

BAYAN
Muna representative Joel Virador today bared “a deceitful Malacañang agenda to
amend the 1987 Constitution that would pave way to intensified environment and
economic degradation due to liberalized mining.”

“Charter
change will add teeth to the already notorious 1995 Philippine Mining Act
(Republic Act 7942) which the Supreme Court again affirmed recently. The
decision of the high tribunal declaring the constitutionality of Section 76 of
R.A. 7942 and its implementing rules and regulations was expected. However, no
amount of touted revenues and compensation can pay for the permanently damaged
environment, displaced indigenous communities, loss of life and livelihood as a
result of large-scale mining. It is frustrating that our tragic experiences with
large-scale foreign mining in Boac, Marinduque, Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte, Rapu-rapu,
Albay, Didipio, Nueva Vizcaya, Surigao del Norte, and other areas continue to
fall on deaf ears. It should be noted however that no measures have been put in
place to reverse this skewed framework,” Rep. Virador said.

“We
thereby challenge the Supreme Court justices to go to these areas and see for
themselves what the local communities have lost: indigenous peoples’ ancestral
domain, once productive farmlands, pristine river and marine ecosystems. This
may help them in seeing the anti-Filipino and anti-environment nature of RA
7942,” Virador added.

Virador
gave these remarks at the round table discussion on “What’s behind Cha-cha?
Exacerbating the ill-effects of liberalized mining” initiated by the
Legislators for Pro-People Mining (LEAP) together with other environmental
groups in Congress.

The
said activity aims to encourage legislators to dissect the dangerous provisions
under the proposed charter amendments.

“The
full-blown implementation of a liberalized, privatized and deregulated mining
industry will come into reality once charter change has been enacted. The
constitutional overhaul will allow 100% foreign-ownership of our lands and
exploit our natural resources. Charter change will further open the country to
unbridled foreign exploitation and plunder,” Virador said.

Under
the current Constitution, land ownership is reserved only for Filipinos in the
view that our people should have the priority to develop our resources for the
good of the country.

“The
proposed Constitutional amendments on liberalization will further aggravate
landlessness, land-use conversion on an unprecedented scale, the whole-sale exploitation
of our natural resources, food insecurity and the destruction of the
environment.  Filipinos will be deprived
of the right to use the country’s resources for their own benefit. Local
industries and agriculture that cannot compete with the big multinationals will
also be destroyed,” Virador said. #

The current Mining Act has to be repealed

A
law that favors foreign interests over the nation’s long-term needs and
sustainability of natural resources must be immediately repealed.

The recent disaster of one of the government’s flagship mining
projects in Rapu-rapu island in Bicol is a portent of worse things to
come once foreign companies are allowed by the State to proceed with
unbridled commercial mineral extraction.

The Supreme Court’s reversal of its ruling on the 1995 Mining Act
(RA 7942), which described the law as wholesale plunder of the
country’s finite resources and a betrayal of national patrimony, is
actually a betrayal of the aspirations of the common people to progress
while protecting our already fragile ecosystems.

The Macapagal-Arroyo administration’s claim that large-scale foreign
mining will free the country from economic instability is certainly
suspect.

The US$6.5 billion worth of mining investments that the
administration imagines will bring us out of the economic rut is far
from being realistic since the broad array of incentives is favorable
to foreign mining investors but detrimental to the domestic economy. We
are not assured of the tax revenues from the mining sector since the
government can only collect taxes after the mining companies have
earned their capital, which can take at least seven years. We must also
remember the Marcopper tragedy in 1993 and 1996. The mine tailings
rendered the Boac and Makulapnit rivers biologically dead and rendered
823 hectares of farmland useless in Mariduque.

The Philippines is the fifth most mineralized country in the world.
Opening the country’s mineral and natural resources to foreign
exploitation does not necessarily lead to economic progress.
Historically, even the United States, Canada, and Australia did not
develop and attain economic growth driven by mining and mineral
extractive endeavors as mining’s share in their respective annual GDPs
is only 1 to 5 percent.

What we need is the national development of upstream and downstream
industries, which will enable the integration of the processing of
mineral products with domestic manufacturing and production. No
substantial economic improvement will occur with the 1995 Mining Act
because it is the transnational mining companies that will gain from
it. That is why we are working to repeal the said law.

The liberalization of the mining industry, as legalized in the
Mining Act, will only lead to the massive dislocation of our cultural
minorities and further degradation of our natural resources. This
damage is more expensive for the country compared to the investments
that the government has been harping on. We have to develop a
responsible, ecologically sound, and nationalist mining industry. RA
7942 runs counter to this national need and therefore must be repealed.

Only then can we start to chart a better path towards the wise use
of our finite natural and mineral resources for the long-term benefit
of the people. ###

“The uncanny timing President’s call for the passage of the anti-terrorism bill in light of the recent spate of bombings in Mindanao reveals Malacañang’s desperation to continue its iron-fisted rule.”

Congress has set its plenary debates for the measure on April 3 to 5.

 “We
have consistently pointed out that the definition of terrorism in the
draft anti-terror measure is ambiguous and includes offenses already
covered in the Revised Penal Code, but prescribes harsher penalties. It
also contains provisions allowing warrantless arrests, arbitrary
detention, heightened government intolerance and limitations on the
freedom of the press. The attacks on progressive organizations and
individuals will also be intensified once this bill becomes a law.
Government should immediately compensate the victims of these bombings
and the culprits should be caught and punished,” Virador said.

The militant solon also called on soldiers and policemen in the field “to defy orders that would endanger the
public, including bombing missions.”

 “I
appeal to our compatriots in the uniformed services to listen to their
sense of patriotism and their conscience and defy orders from their
superiors that would endanger the lives and livelihood of civilians,”
Virador said. ###