The Alyansa Tigil Mina Blog

By Joyce Pangco Pañares , Manila Standard -
http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=politics04_june06_2006

4th June 2006

PresidenT Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has urged Chinese businessmen to take
position in the local mining sector and benefit from its resurgence.

Speaking before a 300-strong Chinese delegation led by Chinese Minister
of Commerce Bo Xilai, Mrs. Arroyo said the local mining industry is
booming. “The Philippines is well poised as far as mining is concerned. We have a $1 trillion mineral wealth and the Philippines is one of the world’s top five source countries for deposits of copper, gold, iron and nickel.” The President spoke at the closing ceremony of the two-day
Philippines-China Economic Forum held at the Manila Hotel yesterday, with 200 company executives from the biggest companies in China among the audience.

One of the companies is Jin Chuan Shanghai Non-Ferrous Metals Corp., a
major investor in the $1 billion rehabilitation and reopening of the Nonoc Nickel Mines in Surigao.

Mrs. Arroyo’s statement came as an assurance to multinational mining
firms that the government remains committed to the full implementation of the 1995 Mining Law.

For his part, Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said Mrs. Arroyo
will not seek the revision of the mining law, which allows foreign mining companies to operate on a large scale. (more…)

June 06, 2006

By Daxim L. Lucas, Inquirer -
http://news.inq7.net/nation/index.php?index=1&story_id=78218

Editor’s Note: Published on page A5 of the June 6, 2006 issue of the
Philippine Daily Inquirer

THE PHILIPPINES and China yesterday sealed a deal that promises greater
cooperation between both countries in the fields of mining, agriculture
and fisheries, tourism and infrastructure.

The agreement was signed by Trade and Industry Secretary Peter B.
Favila and Chinese Minister of Commerce Bo Xilai, and was witnessed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, former President Fidel V. Ramos, who chairs the China-based Boao Forum, Chinese Ambassador Li Jinjun and Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Romulo Neri.

The two-day Philippines-China Economic Forum where the memorandum of
understanding was signed will serve as the blueprint for economic
cooperation between the two nations for the next 10 years, officials
said.

The centerpiece of the forum was on talks toward the signing of an
agreement with the Chinese government for a loan to fund the construction of the proposed SouthRail project, similar to the controversial NorthRail project.

The deal is valued at $700 million although bilateral negotiations are
still ongoing. A ranking government official familiar with the project, who requested anonymity, said the deal was being scrutinized by the National Economic and Development Authority.

In her speech before an estimated 300 Chinese delegates, Ms Arroyo called on them to invest more in the country.

She also invited Chinese businessmen to take a closer look at the local
mining industry which is experiencing a resurgence after the Supreme
Court upheld the Mining Act in 2004. (more…)

By: Gareth Tredway, Mineweb -
http://www.mineweb.net/sections/mining_finance/498804.htm

06-JUN-06

JOHANNESBURG (Mineweb.com) — The global mining industry suffered a 16%
increase in costs last year, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers’s
(PWC’s) 2006 mine Survey.

The survey, the third of its kind, combines the financial information
of the world’s top 40 mining stocks representing 80% of the industry’s market value.

According to the IMF, global inflation was up 2.3% in advanced
economies and up 5.4% in developing and emerging market countries in 2005.

Higher commodity prices, while helping the revenue line of the world’s
mining giants, also factored in at the cost level, which came in at
$141.5 billion in 2005. “The cost increases were impacted by higher oil prices on freight and energy costs, labour costs, contractor costs and steel prices,” authors Hugh Cameron and Tim Goldsmith rerported. (more…)

By Antonio M. Ajero, Sun Star Davao

6th June 2006

TAMPAKAN, South Cotabato — Irresponsible miners, foreign investors
included, are not welcome in the Philippines, said Environment
Secretary Angelo T. Reyes.

“We have one of the best mining laws in the world,” Reyes said, adding
that, “investors should be ready to accept and follow the rigid rules and policies in so far as public safety, environmental protection, and health standards are concerned.”

The environment secretary held a press briefing in the poblacion of
this town after flying over the Sagittarius Mines Inc. (SMI) copper-gold mining area encompassing several municipalities in the provinces of Davao del Sur, Sultan Kudarat, and South Cotabato.

This was after he spoke over the weekend during the signing of the
memorandum of understanding among mayors of Tampakan, South Cotabato,
Columbio, Sultan Kudarat and Kiblawan, Davao del Sur for the so-called
Kitaco Growth Plan. (more…)

Written by MindaNews,
http://mindanews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=155&Itemid=50

Monday, 05 June 2006

TAMPAKAN, South Cotabato (MindaNews/05 June) - Environment Secretary
Angelo Reyes visited the copper-and-gold mine site here last Saturday,
downplayed the opposition from the local Catholic church and pledged government’s full support for the Australian-backed venture.

“I will go back to Manila confident that mining in Tampakan will be
done responsibly and (is) responsive to the needs of the community,” Reyes said in a press conference following a briefing from officials of
Sagittarius Mines, Inc, which is backed by the Australian firm Indophil Resources NL.

Reyes, who arrived here on board a helicopter escorted by two other
helicopters, said SMI president and chief executive officer Paul
Dominguez can “hurdle” the challenge from the opposition.

Dominguez was Presidential Assistant for Mindanao in the Ramos administration and served as Presidential Adviser on Regional Development under the Arroyo administration. (more…)

http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=politics04_june07_2006

Bishop Arturo Bastes of Sorsogon admitted the other day that the commission he headed relied not on scientific studies but on “philosophical” thinking, probabilities, and conscience when it blamed Lafayette for mercury contamination of the waters of Albay and Sorsogon.

At a press conference in Sorsogon, he added: “Our studies were not scientific like those of the experts (from University of the Philippines and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources). We focus on the historical background and on our personal knowledge but we come up with scientific findings.”

Pressed to explain, he said: “We are endowed with knowledge by our Creator. Our conscience dictates and the historical background could assure us of our findings. We follow our conscience that’s why when we decide, we are sure we will not falter.” (more…)

http://www.mb.com.ph/OPED2006060766148.html
Dr. Florangel R Braid

THERE is no better way of celebrating Environment Month than remembering the pioneering efforts of local environmental advocates. I am sure we can think of hundreds of individuals whose lives have been dedicated to improving the quality of our air, water, soil, and other life resources, but for a start, let me mention a few.

There is the late Maximo “Junie” Kalaw whose vision of a “greener” and more sustainable Philippines spawned a number of environmental projects including our own Philippines Habitat movement. And who will forget the courageous Mac-ling Dulag, the hero of the Cordillera region who led an advocacy group to protect ancestral domain by preventing the exploitation of the Chico River Dam? Then there is Marcelo Palaypay, the father of solid waste management who taught all of us the basics of composting. At that time which was the early 80s, he and Narda Camacho were moving around schools and community groups demonstrating the principles of garbage management. Narda has put out a useful manual on Solid Waste Management which gives information on how to recycle various types of wastes — paper, plastics, cans, glass, innovative technologies that can be used, management of bio-medical wastes, nationwide industrial waste exchange centers, city, municipal and barangay ordinances, and the role of local government units. Narda who is chairperson of the Unesco National Commission’s Science and Technology Committee has moved from the ground to the mountains where she leads a group which works with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the AFP North Luzon Command, the National Academy of Science and Technology and several NGOS in the restoration of the Sierra Madre Range. (more…)