Open Pit Mining In Tampakan, South Cotabato Should Be Banned
Jamie Diane H. Langub
South Cotabato is considered as the Breadbasket of the South, because this
province has spurred the region’s economy in an agro-industrial direction, and
provided an impetus for the resurgence of both local and new business
establishments. Its thriving agricultural sector has been the backbone of the region’s
business economics. The place is generally flat dotted with some hills and mountains.
Moreover, there are myriad sites that have created a tourism business that is evident
until the present. Furthermore, South Cotabato enjoys a mild, pleasant climate with no
pronounced dry or wet season, and is practically typhoon-free. With affordable fruits
and vegetables everywhere, less traffic, less air pollution, easy access to the airport
and sea, lots of tourist spots —The province is practically a paradise. Recently, the
members of South Cotabato provincial board unanimously approved the lifting of the
provincial ban on open-pit mining. If approved, the mine would be the largest in the
Philippines and among the largest copper mines in the world since the site covers an
area of approximately 10,000 hectares. Some people of the community consent to this
mining since it might increase our economic growth. It could provide employment,
dividends, and taxes that could pay for hospitals, schools, and public facilities.
Furthermore, the mining industry produces a trained workforce and small businesses
that could service communities and may initiate related businesses. However, on the
contrary, I see this mining project as a harm to the community and land. This project
could displace indigenous people, destroy farmlands, and cause more global warming.
These and many other consequences are the reasons why open pit mining in
Tampakan, South Cotabato should be banned.
First and foremost, this mining project is harmful because it could destroy
farmlands. We already know South Cotabato’s main industry relies on agriculture. Not
only will it destroy the agricultural land, contaminate water resources, but it will also
harm the communities nearby. Open-pit mining is one of the most common mining
methods used in the mining industry (Zendehboudi & Bahadori, 2017). It is the
cheapest way of mining, yet it is the most harmful to the environment. It is one of the
most land-degrading and landscape-modifying activities. In this type of mining,
exploitation of the land occurs (Padró et al., 2022). An environmental advocate, Gina
Lopez explained how this mining project will affect Sultan Kudarat, Davao del Sur,
Sarangani, and South Cotabato (Sir Nardx, 2017). According to Cordillera Peoples
Alliance Posts (2016), the
Philippine Mine Safety and Environment Association
(PMSEA) claim of responsible mining is a continuing myth. Santi Mero, deputy
secretary general of Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) enumerated the environmental
crimes of the mining companies in the region of Cordillera specifically, Benguet
Corporation (BC), Lepanto Consolidated Mining Corporation (LCMC) and Philex
Mining Corporation (Philex); On the case of LCMC since its operation in 1936, the
company dumped mine tailings and waste straight into the Abra River. It was only in
the 1960’s that the first tailings dam was built. The dam was abandoned after less than
10 years and the land became unsuitable for agriculture. Tailings dam 2 was
constructed in the 1970s. Its collapse caused the contamination of nearby rice fields.
Tailings Dam 3 and a diversion tunnel gave way in 1986 during a strong typhoon.
Another spillway collapsed after a typhoon in 1993. The spilled tailings encroached on
riverbanks and destroyed rice fields downstream. They also caused the riverbed to
rise and the polluted water to backflow into other tributaries of the Abra River. They
say this mining will bring wealth. But what is wealth if it will cost the health of our land
and safety of the South Cotabato and its neighboring provinces?
Another reason to ban this open pit mining is because it will negatively affect
the health of the community through water pollution and floodings, especially in the
Koronadal City. As a matter of fact, the total distance between Koronadal and
Tampakan is 10km (kilometers) and 444.98 meters. Considering the fact that
Koronadal is a lower valley and close to the mining site, flood is inevitable. In
Samarinda, Indonesia’s coal-mining capital, there was a major flooding after a heavy
rain. Due to the mining's deforestation, the upstream area's ability to absorb rainwater
has been lessened, resulting in higher amounts of runoff streaming into the Mahakam
River and flooding the city (Jong, 2020). It is also given that this proposed open-pit
mining will produce large amounts of liquid wastes called tailings. Now imagine these
tailings from the mines running into the area’s rivers, silting them up, and restricting
their flow, resulting a flood. Moreover, this open-pit mining project in Tampakan will
leave a big hole with a size of about seven hundred of football fields after the operation.
They will create an open pit, remove and drain the water in that pit in order to obtain
the copper and gold. After the operation, the water stuck in the pit will become acidic
if they will not detox it everyday, it would lead to water contamination. Consequently,
it will negatively affect the water resources of the neighboring communities specifically
Sultan Kudarat, Davao del Sur, Sarangani, and South Cotabato. As mentioned by Safe
Drinking Water Foundation (SDWF) (2017), human activities such as mining are
increasingly threatening the water sources on which we all rely. Fresh water are
getting contaminated due to mining effluent discharges and seepage from tailings and
waste rock impoundments.
People who see this open pit mining as affluence is blinded by money. There
are tons of ways to earn money and increase our economic growth. Are we really
exchanging our flourishing land, clean water and healthy forest with cataclysm
disguised in gold and copper? How is this a win-win situation when the money we get
from the mining will be just alloted to reinstate our community because of the mining’s
repercussions, or worse, the community will end up high and dry leaving the people
nearby suffer the aftermath. What’s more important than the well-being of the people?
The answer is nothing. No amount of money can reverse the effect it will cause so why
not avoid it before it could even happen?
I strongly believe that this proposed open-pit mining in Tampakan will only bring
complication to the next generation, or maybe soon if approved shortly. Our country is
still incapable of responsible mining, unlike other countries. Perhaps, if we increase
technical knowledge and business practices as well as sustainability principles, access
to high technology, altogether with transparency and openness within local
communities, mining will be good for business and good our community. We should
never create a problem we cannot resolve. Mining is a risky industry; If open pit mining
in Tampakan will be done unprepared or irresponsibly, people will be at stake.
REFERENCES
CPAPHILS. (2015, March 6). Philippine Mining Act of 1995: A curse to the environment
and communities. Retrieved from CPA Philippines website:
https://cpaphils.wordpress.com/2015/03/06/philippine-mining-act-of-1995-a-curse-tothe-environment-and-communities/
Jong, H. N. (2020, February 5). Mining leads to flooding in Indonesia’s coal capital
Samarinda. Retrieved June 2, 2022, from Mongabay Environmental News website:
https://news.mongabay.com/2020/02/indonesia-coal-mine-mining-samarindaflooding-deforestation/
Padró, J.-C., Cardozo, J., Montero, P., Ruiz-Carulla, R., Alcañiz, J. M., Serra, D., &
Carabassa, V. (2022). Drone-Based Identification of Erosive Processes in Open-Pit
Mining Restored Areas. Land, 11(2), 212. https://doi.org/10.3390/land11020212
Safe Drinking Water Foundation (SDWF). (2017, January 23). Mining and Water Pollution.
Retrieved from Safe Drinking Water Foundation website:
https://www.safewater.org/fact-sheets1/2017/1/23/miningandwaterpollution#:~:text=Mining%20affects%20fresh%20water
%20through
Sir Nardx. (2017). Gina Lopez calls Tampakan mining project “nakakatakot.” Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Om7TmzPJ3q8
Tampakan Gold Copper Project. (2020, September 25). Retrieved from Mining Technology
website: https://www.mining-technology.com/projects/tampakangoldcopperpr/
Zendehboudi, S., & Bahadori, A. (2017, January 1). Chapter Eight - Production Methods in
Shale Oil Reservoirs (S. Zendehboudi & A. Bahadori, Eds.). Retrieved November 23,
2021, from ScienceDirect website:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128021002000083