| Mining Problems Philippines
On Sunday 26th November I was Viewing the Current Affairs program on Channel 9 called Sunday. They mentioned about a Australian owned mining company setting up business in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. It appears the Philippine Government had changed its policies about foriegned owned investment in the Philippines itself. Previously investment had to have a controlling interest of 60% Philippine stock holding. But due to world markets the Philippine Govt had relaxed this somewhat to allow further foriegn investment and capital for such mining adventures to take place. Foriegn control can be as high as 95% and this according to the Sunday program was going to cause problems with the local population living around the mining site itself. The Moro people of the Island of Mindanao would object etc about the total ownership of the mining company etc. Mixed in with this problem 2 other groups. One called the New People's Army (NPA) who are communists and of course Aba Sayaf who are Islamic Fundamentalists associated with AlQuada. What the program also said was enviromental issues as well as local river system had been effected by a cyanid spill from another mining company earlier. Even the local Catholic Bishop bought into the problem as well. Its a bit of a confusing issue.
Now as I am married to a Filippina I asked her what the problems with certain groups were with the exception of Aba Sayaf, as they create problems all of their own. But my wife told me that the NPA use extortion tactics not only on mining companies but local people as well. A thing called the Revolution Tax. For example say if a Mining Company earns $1,000,000 USD per month the NPA expect to receive from mining company a Revolutionary Tax of 25% of the total profits. The NPA also extort money from local population as well at same rate of extortion. For example if a farmer earns 100 php (pesos) the said farmer has to pay 25% of that earning to the NPA at 25% Revoluntary Tax. If the Taxes isn't paid then dire consquences occur such as murder bombing kidnapping etc occur. until either Tax is paid or Ransom is paid if not both in case of kidnapping. It appears Aba Sayaf Operate in a similar fashion to the NPA and expect to be paid for similar reason as to what the NPA operate under. I questioned my wife about why would a Catholic Priest buy into this debate and condenm an investment in mining by foriegners into Mindanao. The answer was that local Catholic Churches would be bombed or extorted by either fore mentioned groups NPA and Aba Sayaf. Now here is the cruncher as the Mining Company would want to employ locals as much as possible education programs would be set up for the local population as much as possible for example schools and other educational facilities so the Mining Companies would be injecting into local economy but also educating local people to future employment in the Mines etc. Now both the NPA and Aba Sayaf would have a problem with this as the local population the people called the Moro would be educated enough to see through the extortions rackets set up by either aforementioned organisations. The idea is to keep local population dumbed down and subdued by either fear or ignorance. Examples of this have occured with the bombing of radio stations by either NPA or Aba Sayaf at various times. This sounds very similar to what occured in other countries in the region that has had problems before. One country comes to mind called Vietnam where similar things occured in that country but also Laos and Cambodia. As Mindanao is the poorest of the Island Provinces of the Philippines there is a stark lack of investment into that area of the Philippines and the local people in Mindanao suffer due to it. As the Sunday Program aluded to the fact that the Mining Companies would rip of the Moro I feel that is incorrect. Its their own so called Revoluntary Movements whether being Communists or Islamic Fundamentalist who are ripping of their own people over greed and corruption. And neither religious or political fervour has nothing to do with it. Just common old one minded singular greed is the driving force to both organisations. Its the Moro and the people of Mindanao who suffer under such radicalism. And of course I forgot to mention that the Philippine Govt themselves are corrupt as well, or more to the point members of the Philippine Govt. with officials collecting kickbacks from either NPA or Abaya Sayaf etc. As well as Government Officials being corrupt locally. As my wife claims some members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines have sold their weapons to either NPA or Abaya Sayaf at times for cash etc. Now before some one says this happens in third world countries. You would be stating the obvious to me as I have travelled quiet a bit not only the Philippines but other South East Asian Countries in the region
Of course the Mining Companies have had to hire security guards who are armed to safe guard the Mines themselves to protect from other groups who want to extort the mining companies etc. I just wonder what your thoughts on this are.
Last edited by Emac44 : 11-26-2006 at 08:46 PM.
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