Canadian church wants mining firms to be responsible

BAGUIO CITY—After visiting mining-affected indigenous communities in northern Luzon recently, a team of Canadian church and civil society group leaders said it would recommend to Canadian mining firms to strictly adhere to Philippine laws, such as seeking the consent of communities before they start operations.

And if finally allowed to operate in the county, Canadian firms must operate according to stringent international and ethical standards followed in Canada, said Dr. Bill Phipps, former moderator of the United Church of Canada.

“Canadian firms cannot just go to the Philippines and exploit mineral resources at all cost,” Phipps told reporters here last week.

Phipps, along with other 13 others, visited Mankayan, Benguet; Cervantes, Ilocos Sur; and Sallapadan and Tubo towns in Abra this month. At least six mining priority projects by Canadian firms are found in the areas that the team visited through the mission called Beaconsfield Initiative.

They were invited by the national office of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, the National Council of Churches in the Philippines and three other Cordillera organizations to evaluate the impact of Canadian mining operations in the region.

“As a former colony of the British and the French, Canada’s resources were heavily exploited by its colonizers so our country must understand the same situation of the Philippines,” said Phipps.

The mission gathered reports on environmental destruction and human rights abuses brought about by mining operations in the region.

Phipps said they would present the report to the Canadian government so it could act on the negative impact of Canadian investments on human and environmental rights of indigenous peoples not only in the Philippines but in other countries.

He said the group is preparing a report on their Philippine visit to help them develop a church policy that would be introduced in a general council meeting in Ottawa this year. The report would also be submitted to the committees on justice and human rights, and on foreign affairs and international development of the Canadian House of Commons.

The group has identified 25 Canadian mining investments in the Philippines. It said it would continue its monitoring and mapping operations to determine the impact of corporate mining in communities around the country.

Phipps said they were hoping that the Canadian government would draft laws involving mining regulation that is rooted on social justice and human and environmental rights.—Desiree Caluza and Maurice Malanes