The Municipality of Maco in Compostela Valley province has hogged the news lately for two reasons both of which are related to Apex Mining.
The first one revolved around the decision of Apex Mining to bolt the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines.
From the news accounts, it appeared that Apex president and chief executive officer Walter Brown has been frustrated and disappointed lately with the chamber’s response to President Rodrigo Duterte for the local mining industry to clean up its acts.
“I do not agree that we should blame the illegal small-scale miners when the mining industry is put to task for perceived destruction of the environment,” Brown was quoted as saying.
He added that the mining industry is currently subject to intense scrutiny, and the COMP needs to regulate its members who are not complying with the existing mining rules and regulations.
“If we don’t clean up our ranks, all the good will go down the same drain with the bad, when the industry is taxed to death, as the President has warned,” he added.
Coming as it did from a company that has been certified by a mining audit as environmentally compliant, Brown’s statement is revealing. It seemed that up to this point, majority of the chamber’s members are not about to change their ways and are clinging barnacle-like to their destruction practices.
The other news from Maco is that the indigenous Mansaka population has gotten its acts together finally in addressing its royalty fees issue with Apex whose operation extends across 5,000 hectares inside the IPs’ domain.
From two organizations, the Mansakas agreed to integrate under a new organization. They had also successfully participated in what amounted to a four-month ‘crash course’ that enabled them to come up with a community royalty development plan that would manage their royalty in the spirit of transparency and accountability.
Providing the catalyst is the USAID-funded Kaisampalad non-government organization that brought in experts to help them appreciate the value of their natural resources as well as to manage their IP organization and their investment plan.
The theme of the whole exercise: “Securing the present and investing in the future.”
In Tagum City last month at their summit conference, the Maco IPs expressed optimism that they were able to evolve a model in managing royalty and the natural resources that is first of its kind in the Philippines.
I am inclined to agree. In contrast, the royalty fees arising from the operation of the Philex Mines in Benguet province remains stuck in the bank after the IPs would not agree to get their acts together. Add to this, the inability of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples to resolve the conflict with three to four groups each claiming to represent the IPs.
Some say some interests are out to see the IPs divided while others say it is greed (by those that previously received the royalty fees) that prevents the IPs from uniting. In Maco, I can see sincerity and humbleness on the part of the IPs in their bid to succeed.
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In reaction to our previous column, Compostela Valley 1st district Rep. Maricar Zamora sent in a message to clarify what she really meant by BITCHES, which she spelled out before members of the provincial chapter of the Lady Local Legislators League in their annual congress at the Apo View Hotel.
BITCHES, she clarified, stands
for Bloom(where you are planted) Increase your value (by continuous learning and studying), focus on your Target (in achieving your goals in life), Choose your battle (not all battles are worth fighting for), ask Help (as it does not make you less of a woman if you ask for help), Enjoy life’s journey while working, and remember to SLOW down in order to find balance from work and personal life. (30)
