ATM Position Against Charter Change

The focus of charter change is political; federalism and all it brings to the table is what the politicians are going to war over, with the administration campaigning for signatures at the barangay level and the opposition consolidating in the congress and senate. The political fallout of charter change is what is in the forefront of their minds – terms lengthened, powers extended, a re-booting of the power system that rearranges names but offers no new ones up. Some see this charter change as their chance to lead the nation, while other view it as a way to consolidate their position at the same time skirting the controversies that continue to hound the national government.

While Charter Change should occupy the national attention, and Filipinos should take an active interest in the activities of government, the shift to federalism is not the only thing that the ChaCha promises.

In its report, the Consultative Commission on Charter Change recommended to lift the economic protections in the 1987 constitutions and allow purely foreign owned corporations the chance to exploit Philippine resources. This would open the gates for the destructive and extractive industries, foremost among them, mining.

We, the Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM), a network of POs, NGOs and mining-affected communities who seek a moratorium on large scale mining see this as yet another senseless attempt by the government to improve the economy by sacrificing people, environment and out national patrimony. Considering the ugly history of mining in the Philippines and worldwide, with flattened mountains, razed forests, choked rivers and ghost towns as the main symbols of mining “progress”, large-scale mining should not even be an option. But as the government has begun to push it as a salve to our economic woes, they ignore the fact that in the decades that large-scale, commercial mines operated throughout the country they did nothing to improve the nation’s economy. We are poorer from mining, we have lost rivers and fishing grounds to mining, to corporations that were not wholly owned by foreigners and yet acted as though they were above Philippine law.

Now, there is a movement to enshrine in our constitution the ability of foreigners to enter our country and strip the land of its riches with no obligation to the nation. If this is not near-sighted and foolish, then nothing is.

It is a fantasy that foreign corporations will uplift the Filipino people. Corporations exist only to make profits and the proposed Charter Change will only make it easier for them to enrich themselves, while removing the few protections Filipinos have to protect their own.

Mining will leave our lands poisoned and barren, and mining corporations will abandon the country to its new ills the very second it becomes less profitable to stay. And Charter Change will encourage this behavior.

Even on these grounds alone Charter Change demands to be opposed. The Alyansa Tigil Mina stands against all attempts to change the 1987 Constitution.

Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM)