Kalinga
youth unite against destructive mining
TABUK,
Kalinga — Some 200 youths in this province forged their unity
to protect the Kalinga peoples’ ancestral land and resources
against corporate mining in the 6th Anakbayan-Kalinga Chapter Assembly
held from August 20 to 21 in this town under the theme “Salakniban
ti Nailyan a Patrimonya ken Karbengan ti Daga! Paertengen ti Panagkaykaysa
ti Umili laban iti Panagserrek dagiti Makakadael a Kumpanya ti Minas,
Militarisasyon ken Tribal War” (Defend national patrimony
and land rights! Strengthen the people’s unity against the
entry of destructive mining companies, militarization and tribal
war).
Some 12 Exploration Permit Applications (EXPAs) were applied for
in Kalinga, one of which was already approved (Wolfland Resources
Incorporation) by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) of the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), on July
30, 2004. Aside from the EXPA, applications for Financial and Technical
Assistance Agreement (FTAA) are also being made in this province,
With these developments,
Anakbayan-Kalinga anticipate militarization to ensure the smooth
entry of foreign corporate mines, especially in organized communities
that do not support corporate mining. According to them, they can
now see the reason behind the presence of the military forces in
their province.
“It is very clear
that their presence in the different communities is to coerce and
harass the people whom they believe is a hindrance to the entry
of foreign mining projects”, the organization claimed. They
also believe that corporate mining projects will not really develop
their communities but rather, destroy the environment and ancestral
land.
Members of Anakbayan-Kalinga are also afraid of the possible eruption
of tribal wars due to mining-related issues. These kinds of tribal
wars will not only revolve on issues of boundaries as has usually
been the case. It is seen that conflicts among villages will arise
from the entry of mining projects to the area.
The participants of the
two-day activity came from the different barangays (villages), municipalities
and schools in the province. The said assembly has become a venue
for the participants to tackle different issues affecting the youth
and students in particular. A discussion on the situation was discussed
to challenge the members to take part of the action to confront
the current political and economic crisis of the country. Discussions
on mining, militarization and tribal war followed, which was facilitated
by the Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA).
According to the participants,
the assembly has inspired old and new members to continue with their
struggle to protect their ancestral land. They were also challenged
to make a stand and make a mark against mining applications in their
province. The said assembly ended with their solidarity night to
further consolidate their ranks as indigenous youths. Samuel
Anongos, CPA
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