Environmental News Service (ENS)
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jul2006/2006-07-24-04.asp
July 24, 2006

MAKATI, Philippines - Communities from Rapu-Rapu island today filed a petition with the regional court for a permanent injunction to stop the operations of Lafayette Philippines, Inc., an Australian mining firm, amid allegations of a pesticide spill and fish kill in Albay Bay.

The spill occurred over the weekend during test runs of polymetallic mining operations on Rapu-Rapu, located in Albay province in the Bicol region, 350 kilometers southeast of the capital Manila.

Over 800 signatures from groups and individuals are on the petition seeking to end the polymetallic operations of the Rapu-Rapu mine.

The petition for a permanent injunction comes one week after a class action lawsuit filed July 20 at the Makati Regional Trial Court askingfor a temporary restraining order on Lafayette Processing’s 30 day test run on Rapu-Rapu island.

People from the provinces of Sorsogon and Albay, 27 residents of Rapu-Rapu, environmental activist groups, fisher folk organizations, church people, militant organizations and television personalities filed the class suit against Lafayette Philippines, Inc. and Department of environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Angelo Reyes.

Lafayette Philippines Inc. corporate secretary and spokesman Julito Sarmiento on Sunday alleged that the spill into Albay Bay was “sabotage.” He told the “Manila Times” the company was being harrassed.