Militant group Gabriela called on Environment Secretary Gina Lopez on Wednesday to not only close down “pollutive” mining companies but also use the country’s mineral resources to create wealth for Filipinos.
“The next logical step for DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) after stopping their polluting activities is to tap our national mineral wealth for the benefit of Filipinos, for establishing a strong, stable and wealth-creating metals processing infrastructure,” Gabriela Secretary General Joms Salvador said in a statement.
She said that while they agree with Lopez that the current mining situation does not result in national progress, “we still need oil and minerals to build a progressive industrial base that Filipinos own and control.”
READ: Duterte: Losses from mine closures worth pondering
Salvador claimed that foreign companies are “extractive in nature” and use technologies that damage the environment.
She pointed out that many of the mining companies ordered closed extract minerals that are “directly shipped outside of the country for further conversion into finished metals” instead of being processed inside the country.
Salvador said the Duterte administration should push for national industrialization to address the “discontent and rebellion among people displaced by mining industries.” CDG