By Laura Garbes
A municipal judge in the Philippines dismissed charges against nine Ifugao Indigenous people who are members of the Didipio Earth Savers Mulitpurpose Association (DESAMA). DESAMA has long claimed that the charges were trumped up in an attempt to intimidate and harass Indigenous people who oppose construction of an OceanaGold mine in their community. Mine construction has displaced Indigenous landowners and threatens the water supply in this agricultural region.
Citing the documented negative effects of mining operations on indigenous communities, Ifugao Congressman Teddy Brawner Baguilat is pushing for a new mining law that respects and protects the rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The OceanaGold mining company, which is building a mine in the Philippine community of Didipio, has announced plans to use $140 million from one of its New Zealand operations to restart and speed up construction of the Didipio mine, even as the Philippine Commission on Human Rights has recommended that the government revoke the company's license there. The mine is the subject of Global Response campaign and threatens the Indigenous inhabitants of Didipio and the forests of the mountain.
The following letter from Christopher Louie Ocampo, of the Commission on Human Rights, Philippines, was sent to Cultural Survival's campaign partner Jeff Nettleton, of the organization PIPlinks. The letter announces the Commission's resolution that Australian OceanaGold Philippines Inc (OGPI) has violated human rights in Dipidio.
Cultural Survival is celebrating good news with the Indigenous Peoples of Didipio in the Philippines! The Philippines Human Rights Commission has asked the government to consider cancelling an Australian company’s mining permit because of “gross violations of human rights” that they have committed against
Indigenous groups in the Philippines are hoping that president-elect Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III will make good on his campaign promise to investigate illegal mining activities that affect Indigenous communities.
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