President Aquino scored for inaction on Vizcaya mine firm case

Environment groups here assailed the Aquino administration for its supposed inaction on human rights issues raised against an Australian firm that is preparing to conduct large-scale mining operations in upland Didipio village in Kasibu town.

“(President Aquino) seems to have slept on or ignored the (Commission on Human Rights) recommendation. He must have been too tired to even read it from playing too much video games,” said Tolentino Inlab, head of the Didipio Earthsavers Multi-Purpose Association (Desama).

He was referring to a CHR report in January this year which, among other things, sought to revoke the mining permit granted to OceanaGold Phils Inc. for various human rights violations it allegedly committed against Didipio villagers.

OceanaGold will again try to start mining operations in Didipio next year after they were suspended for two years because of financial troubles and opposition from the local community led by Desama.

“Mr. Aquino is good at projecting to the public that he is doing something to address impunity. (The Didipio case) is impunity staring at his face yet he does not do anything about it,” said Inlab.

Judith Pasimio, executive director of the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center-Kasama sa Kalikasan, a nongovernment organization, said it was also “ironic that while the Aquino administration is working hard to draft a national policy on mining, it has not acted on issues that are more urgent” like the CHR findings against OceanaGold.

Ramoncito Gozar, OceanaGold vice president for communications and external affairs, said the company has complied with the CHR recommendations and has undertaken “major steps” to address the issues raised mainly on “fair and just” payment for villagers to be displaced by the mining project.

He said the company has also launched health, education, environment and sanitation programs in the communities.

In a Jan. 6, 2011 resolution, the CHR detailed four violations allegedly committed by OceanaGold against the people of Didipio, which date back to 2008, in its attempt to start mining operations in the area.

These include the displacement of villagers without relocation plans and the restriction of their movement as a result of fences and checkpoints put up by OceanaGold.

CHR also raised concern over the deployment by OceanaGold of armed men “who openly carry weapons and intimidate people.”