100 TVI ARMED SCAAS HARASS HELPLESS FARMERS, DEMOLISH HOUSE AND INJURE 4

Canatuan, Tabayo, Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte, Mindanao, Philippines – You can not imagine how terror TVI Resource Development Philippines Inc is, a Canadian mining firm when its about 100 Special Citizen Armed Geographical Unit Active Auxiliary (SCAA) who turns into company goons harassed two nights ago the helpless farmers under the darkness, report says.

The harassment has greatly injured four farmers, and one of these was a local catholic chapel lay minister here named Jimmy Acope. The other three farmers injured were John- john Romano, Manolita Galves and her husband Loloy Galves, Nonong Purigay of Canatuan Farmers Association (CFA) told to DIOPIM Committee on Mining Issues (DCMI).

The heartless SCAAs which led by a certain Retired Lt. Cortes have mercilessly demolished the house of Galves family and looted the undetermined worth of precious things such as television, VCD and DVD player, personal belongings and undetermined amount of cash, Manolita Galves cries when she relates the incident.

At around 10:00 0’clock in the evening on June 24 this year, Nonong Purigay of CFA called up to the office of DCMI and reported the unusual troop movement of the company’s SCAA. He warned at the time that there might happen to them because the TVI’s SCAA forces have gradually moved towards them.

Few minutes later, the SCAA has developed its forces and gradually moved towards the residence of Manolita Galves. Few meters before the house of Galves, the SCAAS stopped for a while, but later drastically overrun the Galves house and mercilessly demolished it and looted all the things found inside, Purigay declared.

Purigay said, about fifty SCAAs have directly assisted the demolition of Galves residence while the other 50 secured the surroundings and prevented other farmers from any action rescuing the Galves family from harm and demolition.

The incident has collapsed Mrs. Galves, and the SCAAs forcibly drag her away from the house, while continuously demolished the house structures. The SCAAs pointed their guns to the people who suppose to help Mrs. Galves.

The commotion ensued for an hour until the SCAAs have gradually retreated from the house of Mrs. Galves after putting the house materials at TVI’s dump trucks and brought to the unknown places, Purigay narrates.

DCMI personnel has called up the mobile phone of Eugene Mateo, President of TVI Resource Development Philippines on June 24 night to inform him about the action taken by his SCAA in Canatuan, but ring several times and no answer. It has also called up the mobile phone of Ed Coronel the company’s director for social commitment but can not be reached.

Manolita Galves and her husband Loloy suffered the grave physical injuries as it hard for them to walk around without assistants due to punches and bat strokes employed by the SCAAs. The four injured are in need to be medically treated in the town of Siocon or elsewhere in the province.

But the four victims feel anxious because the company bans them of passing by the company’s numbers of checkpoints for them not to report to the proper authority for proper documentations and medical attentions.

On June 13, fifty families near the open cut mining of TVI staged a vigil to guard their respective residence from any action of demolition by the company’s SCAA. The company’s operator of bulldozer failed to run the equipment towards the residences.

But on June 17, TVI used the large numbers of SCAA and bulldozed the farm-plants of the farmers such as root crops, bananas and other farm durable plants.

At this date, the two staff of Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center (LRC) Cagayan de Oro office, Carl Ceasar Rebutta the team leader, and Zherwinah Mosqueda, a paralegal officer has to visit Canatuan, but failed to enter the area when the TVI SCAA denied their access to pass the company’s checkpoints.

The Company’s SCAA officer has instructed them not to enter within the Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) area. They were only allowed to enter within the property of Timuay Lino Tii who was their guide.

But the SCAA forces of TVI has monitored closely the movement of two LRC staff by staying its forces nearby the residence of Timuay Tii in Sitio Paduan, Candiz, Siocon Zamboanga del Norte an adjacent village of Canatuan.

The two LRC personnel have felt of highly restricted to make community activity; it has decided to go back to R.T. Lim, Zamboanga Sibugay. Timuay Lino Tii has accompanied them in R.T. Lim, but when he has got back home, company’s SCAA held him and his companions for two hours in the checkpoints before allowing them to go before their respective home.

But a day after such incident, TVI has banned him from entering Canatuan at Mt. Canatuan until this moment without apparent reason.

From June 20 up to now, the residents of Canatuan have been disallowed by the company to buy electronic load of celfone inside the company’s compound as few TVI workers are selling load to the people of Canatuan.

TVI BANS SUBANON OPPOSTION FROM ENTERING MT. CANATUAN

Canatuan, Tabayo, Siocon, Zamboanga Del Norte – In spite of several denials of TVI Resource Development Philippines from allegations of disrespecting the cultural and traditional practices of the Subanon People who oppose its mining operation here, but Subanon residents accuse the company a week ago of banning them from entering Mt. Canatuan.

After accompanying the two personnel of the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center (LRC) Cagayan Del Oro Office on June 17 in R.T. Lim Zamboanga Sibugay who was not allowed by TVI from entering within its Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) area, Timuay Lino Tii went back to his home here.

But when he arrives at the several layers of TVI’s Checkpoints, the company’s Special Citizen Armed Forces Geographical Unit Active Auxiliary (SCAA) has held him for two hours without apparent reason before allowing him to pass by towards his home.

On the next day the TVI SCAA prevented him from entering the heart of Canatuan especially nearby the open cut mining where the residents there staged vigil for protection from any demolition action of the company.

The company’s action has disheartened the genuine residents there like Timuay Lino Tii, his brother and Sisters, relatives where living there sine time immemorial where ironically denied access over the ancestral domain.

The Subanon people recognizes Mt. Canatuan as sacred ground, abundant of traditional medicines, foods and place for their cultural practices including different stages of rituals. Its sacredness has made Subanon to oblige themselves of visiting Canatuan for cultural, traditional and medicinal matters.

They Subanon consider any action prevented them from entering Canatuan as a kind of disrespecting their rights to economic, traditional health and cultural practices over their ancestral domain.

Several years ago, the legal and legitimate holder of Ancestral Domain led by Timuay Jose “Boy” Anoy accused TVI of employing several human rights violations including economic food blockade, harassment and intimidations against the Subanon opposition to mining operation.

For ten years now, Subanon people accuse TVI of distributing false claims, information and hope to the Subanon People here in Canatuan or entire Siocon and Zamboanga del Norte in Particular and entire nation in general.

TVI TAKES HOSTAGE THE FOUR INJURED RESIDENTS

Canatuan, Tabayo, Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte, Mindanao, Philippines – The Canatuan Farmers Association (CFA) accuses TVI Resource Development Philippines Inc today for taking hostage the four injured farmers maltreated by the company’s Special Citizen Armed Forces Active Auxiliary (SCAA) two nights ago during its sudden harassment against the helpless farmers for force negotiation.

Manolita Galves a resident here who suffered grave physical injuries during the incident, in a phone interview today accuses TVI of banning them from passing the company’s checkpoints to force her and the family to enter into a negotiation with the TVI even it is against her wishes.

The company’s emissary has continuously been looking where he is staying inside the ancestral domain because it wants to talk to her. But she advises her companions to tell the TVI’s negotiator that she does not want look even any shadow of TVI negotiators.

The company has placed its all checkpoints in a red alert status to insure that those injured farmers could not pass away from Canatuan and seek police assistance for official documentation and proper medical attention to know the extent of the SCAAs maltreatment while their injuries are still lives.

At the checkpoints, SCAA has asked the passengers whether they know the exact whereabouts of the four injured people who were victims of pitiless maltreatment. But no one has provided information to the SCAA.

On June 24 in the morning, the victims called up by celfone to Mayor Ceasar Soriano of Siocon to help them freed from TVI hostage taking and seek proper medication. The victims said that the Mayor promised them to go to Canatuan and rescue them, but until now, even his shadow fails to appear.

Most Rev. Jose R. Manguiran, DCMI Bishop In-charge instructed yesterday the DCMI staff to coordinate with Very Rev. Edgar Agora, Parish Priest of Siocon to assist in rescuing the alleged TVI’s hostages.

In March 17, 2004, TVI SCAAs indiscriminately fired the legitimate protesters in Barangay Pisawak, Siocon wounding four including the 70 year old Subanon chieftain Timuay Macario Salacao.

The said shooting has generated moral supports from the different barangays that caused to withdraw the Alnor Construction from Surigao, a subcontractor of TVI Resource Development Philippines.

AFFECTED COMMUNITIES LAUNCH ANTI-TVI RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT PHILIPPINES CAMPAIGN

Jose, Dalman, Zamboanga Del Norte, Mindanao, Philippines - Around fifty community leaders from thirteen towns of the provinces of Zamboanga Del Norte, Sibugay and Del Sur are expected to gather here at Millennium Formation Center, St. Augustine Parish by June 27-29 for a Zamboanga Peninsula Conference on the Impact of TVI Resource Development Philippines Inc.

This affair aims to sum up the community experience in dealing TVI and the company’s attitudes towards the affected communities, forge common position against the company, form a people’s movement against TVI, and formulate a concrete steps against this aggressive mining firm.

The Thirteen areas are composed of Mt. Canatuan Siocon, Baliguian, Labason, Liloy, Bacungan, Sindangan, Barangay Tamarok Jose Dalman, Katipunan; Sergio Osmeña all belonged to the province of Zamboanga del Norte. Others are coming from Bayog, Dumingag; Mahayag Midsalip all belonged to Zamboanga Del Sur.

The delegates are expected to arrive at the venue in the morning of June 27. At 1:30-2:30, a Mass would be celebrated by the Parish Priest of Jose Dalman Rev. Fr. Nemesio Sayon. After the mass all preliminaries would be taken on to situate all the delegates.

Most Rev. Jose R. Manguiran, the Bishop In-charge of the DIOPIM Committee on Mining Issues (DCMI) is expected to give his inspirational message to all the delegates. He is expected to share why he strongly stood up against the large-scale, foreign and open cut mining.

The community leaders from Canatuan, downstream of Siocon, from Barangay Tamarok Jose Dalman all from Zamboanga Del Norte, and community leaders from Bayog Zamboanga Del Sur are expected to share their experiences and positions on TVI issue.

On the second day of the conference, debt and mining will be tackle by Jun Urot, Secretary General of Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) Western Mindanao.

The Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center (LRC) National Office will expectedly tackle the Mining Industry and why scrap mining act.

Signing of Declaration and formulation of action plan will be the expected final output such day.

The conference will be expectedly to culminate in a parade that will be participated by the delegates and the youth of St, Augustine Parish. At this moment, TVI is the most aggressive mining firm expanding its operation in the Peninsula in addition to its current operation in Siocon Zamboanga Del Norte. Record shows that TVI employs several tricks including armed harassment against the affected communities, especially the legal and legitimate holder of Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT).

In several occasions the current affected by TVI from Canatuan, Siocon and People of Barangay Tamarok Jose Dalman, Zamboanga del Norte with the people of Bayog, Zamboanga del Sur and DIOPIM Committee on Mining Issues have committed to hold this conference with the support from Parish Pastoral Council here and Freedom from Debt Coalition –Western Mindanao.