The Philippine Online Chronicles

The Tampakan project in Mindanao, considered the largest untapped copper and gold reserves in Southeast Asia, will now have to contend with opposing environmental groups.

Environmental groups, consisting of Kalikasan Peoples Network for the Environment, Center for Environmental Concerns Philippines, Advocate of Science and Technology for the People, Kalipunan ng mga Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas and Defend Patrimony! Alliance, recently came out with initial results of a study assessing the environmental effects of the said project.

The study claims that the Tampakan project, a joint venture of Sagittarius Mines, Xstrata Copper, Indophil Resources NL and Alsons Operations, will cause a deterioration of health of the inhabitants of Sultan Kudarat and Davao del Sur, where the open pit mine and port and power facilities will be built.

Environmentalists said the main water sources of the two provinces flow from the mountainous area where the mines will be situated. This will affect the water supply of the provinces’ inhabitants. They also fear that it will worsen the economy and livelihood of the nearby communities.

Representatives of the Sagittarius Mines, however, said they are doing everything to address the concerns of all stakeholders.

Pros and cons

According to Sagittarius Mines, the Tampakan project will involve as much as 13.5 million tons of copper and 15.8 million ounces of gold. Mining operations will start in 2016 in Columbio, Sultan Kudarat.

Mayor Leonardo Escobillo of Tampakan, South Cotabato expressed optimism over the project. Escobillo expects the town to become an urbanized municipality in two years and a city after ten years.

The project will be expected to provide contractual or casual employment to thousands of workers in the area, as well as taxes and royalties for the local government.

However, the project also took away the ancestral domains of certain tribes and is being considered a threat to the health and environmental balance of the province.

Geologist Catherine Abon said open pit mining would pollute the rivers and eventually deplete ground water sources in the mountains, affecting farming.

Extended opposition

The Tampakan project has long been delayed and opposed by environmental groups as well as some government officials. Just recently, there was an open pit mining ban in South Cotabato, signed by the outgoing governor. The action was hailed even by the local diocese as “divine intervention.” However, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ramon Jesus Paje said the legislation was not published and will therefore be considered not in effect.

The DENR assured the mining sector that their investments in the country will be protected.

Last month, there were calls to split up the DENR since it needs to attend to conflicting objectives – protect the environment and protect the business interests of companies involved in resource development.

Online buzz

A couple of environmentalists re-posted links of regional news reportsOne is from Sunstar.com which covered the environmental groups’ calls against the project. Quoted in the article is a spokesperson of Kalikasan saying, “Many of the tribesmen within the mining area are not really aware of the negative impact of the Tampakan project. There's actually no real social acceptability of the project."

Open pit mining is done for minerals that are found not far from the surface.