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Wednesday, January 12, 2011

No Mining on Tablas Island!

Tablas Island
Tablas Island - home of Meaningful Volunteer; home of clean, pristine and drinkable water; home of endless beaches; home of many people I love, is on the verge of being exploited by Ivanhoe Mining of Canada.

Check out this video for some background.




I feel sick when I watch that video.  I recognize the places.  Heck, I think I even recognize some of the faces.

Official documents are coming forth.  Barangays (villages) are making stands.  Check out these minutes from Barangay Sangguniang.

According to 101.3 FM, people have 10 days to file claims or else forfeit their rights to the mining company.  Let that phrase sink in "forfeit your rights to the mining company"

What's the bet that Ivanhoe Mining got more than 10 days to file their claims?

Ivanhoe Mining's record is not good.


  • The Monywa Copper Mine in Burma displaced at least 200 families, led the exploitation of many workers - often at no pay (read slavery), dumping waste product in the Chindwin River.  Heck some villages started boiling the water to extract the copper sediment and sell it back to the government!

    On the plus side though, the copper is being used by a Chinese weapons manufacturer...


  • Then there is the Summitville Mine disaster in Colorado where cyanide solution leaked from the mine, poisoning the Alamosa River in 1991.




And now Ivanhoe mining is coming to Romblon.

What might happen in Romblon?  Well, take a look at what happened on Marinduque Island in the Philippines.  Fish stocks plummeted, the water was poisoned, people were poisoned



Out of sight, out of mined from Oxfam Australia on Vimeo.


If you're ever in Manila and get a chance to visit the human rights office there, make sure you take a look at the "Martyr Wall".  On the wall are pictures of some of the 900 activists who died under the reign of President Arroyo (and now President Aquino).

Many of those people were environmental activist who stood up to the mining companies and their practises.

I'm worried about this.  Very, very worried.
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19 comments:

  1. AnonymousJanuary 13, 2011 at 10:36 AM

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  2. AnonymousJanuary 13, 2011 at 10:40 AM

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  3. AnonymousJanuary 13, 2011 at 10:41 AM

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  4. Malcolm TrevenaJanuary 13, 2011 at 10:44 AM

    Now now people (person?) let's keep it on topic. Let's concentrate on the issue at hand. i.e. the mining.

    And throwing bombs at people is _never_ the solution.

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  5. Jean MortelJanuary 13, 2011 at 12:30 PM

    I love the islands just the way it was before I lived in Texas, both my parents are from Romblon, and we love going there during the summer break. we hope that it will stay the same until the time we go back and until the time that my grandchildren go there to visit. not that I'm already a grandma now, my kids are still very young, but I'm hoping that the future generations of People from Romblon can still experience the beauty of Tablas as I did and so did my children! Please don't allow the place to be destroyed!

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  6. Malcolm TrevenaJanuary 13, 2011 at 12:47 PM

    Jean,
    I love the islands too. I am orginally from New Zealand, but volunteered on the island for the best part of the year.

    I love its naturally beauty. I lived near San Agustin and we could drink the water directly from the mountains. It is hard to imagine that continuing if the miners come.

    Malcolm

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  7. AnonymousJanuary 16, 2011 at 1:34 AM

    i feel disgusted and annoyed whoever destroyed my little island, Tablas Romblon. Please leave us alone and do mining in ur own backyard.

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  8. AnonymousJanuary 22, 2011 at 7:01 AM

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  9. Kerry ElstonJanuary 23, 2011 at 9:39 PM

    I'm volunteering as a nurse in san agustin at the moment, staying near san agustin in carmen - what can I do to help?!

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  10. AnonymousJanuary 24, 2011 at 6:46 AM

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  11. Malcolm TrevenaJanuary 24, 2011 at 10:30 AM

    @Kerry - I guess just awareness at this stage. So let as many as your peeps know as you can.

    Who are you volunteering with?

    We are trying to coordinate some stuff with Mining Watch Canada here

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  12. Jacqueline CarreJanuary 24, 2011 at 5:43 PM

    Hey There,
    I am a Canadian volunteer in Carmen, San Agustin, Romblon. I feel sorry to say that I am not proud to be Canadian at the moment. Hope you won't judge me on it.

    I wish you all the best with your protests, I will try to help as I can. Awareness is the biggest part of it all. Kerry and I are volunteering with CERV Philippines, we can't imagine how the destruction of Romblon would affect future volunteers, and the local people who are so kind and wonderful. I've grown to love this place and wish I could never leave. So for your sake and mine as well I hope we can stop this. Ingat and Good luck.

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  13. KerryJanuary 24, 2011 at 6:06 PM

    @Malcolm, thanks - we'll do our best to raise awareness and I will check out Mining Watch Canada. Keep us posted about any further actions. I heard there would be a protest in Feb in Odiongan - do you know anything about it? However, I was warned not to attend as our visas don't cover political activity... Will keep an eye on this blog anyway! :-)

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  14. Malcolm TrevenaJanuary 25, 2011 at 3:58 AM

    @Kerry. Haven't heard about the protests in Odiongan. Let me know if you find something out!

    And yeah, prob. best if you don't attend the protest.

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  15. EnAirRaHMarch 1, 2011 at 8:01 PM

    The protest happened on Heart's Day last February 14.,

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  16. AnonymousMarch 8, 2011 at 2:30 AM

    MGA KABABAYAN, PLS SEE THIS VIDEO! KONG HAYAYAAN NATIN MATULOY ANG MINING SA ATING LUGAR, TAYO ANG LALANGHAP NG HANGIN NA MAY LASON, IINOM NG TUBIG NA MAYLASON AT MAGDUDULOT NG IBAT IBANG SAKIT SA MGA TAO AT NG MGA ISDA AT HALAMAN NA MAAPEKTUHAN NG LASON GAWA NG EXPLOSION. ANG MINING AY PARA LAMANG SA MGA GAHAMANG TAO

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  17. AnonymousMarch 8, 2011 at 2:31 AM

    WAG KAYONG MANINIWALA NA KAYOY MAAMBUNAN NG KAYAMANG KANILANG MAKUKUHA BAGKUS IIWANAN NILA TAYONG MGA MAMAMAYAN NG TABLAS NG PROBLEMANG HABANG BUHAY NATIN DADALHIN. TINGNAN NYO ANG VIDEONG ITO AT MAUUNAWAAN NYO KONG ANO ANG IDUDULOT NITO SATIN..

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  18. AnonymousMarch 8, 2011 at 5:27 AM

    mga kababayan ko s tablas island lalo n s taga sta maria wag po taung mag bulag bulagan s maaring idulot ng mina s ating kapaligiran mas lalo na s ating hanap buhay at kalusugan wag po nating hayaang matulad ang ating lugar sa marinduque.wag tau papayag na s kaunting biyaya ay pag sisihan nating balang araw makiisa po s wag matuloy ang mina s ating lugar....

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  19. AnonymousMarch 8, 2011 at 6:28 AM

    Mga kababayan ko sa Santa MAria, Tablas. Tama!! wag nating payagan ang mga taong gusto lamang sirain ang ating kapaligiran. Ang nangyari sa Marindoque ay isa lamang sa mga example na nang yari sa ating bansa under Marcos regime. Marami pa yan.. Pero walang dinulot na maganda, yumaman ang Marcos dahil sa sobrang gahaman, yon, itinago sa Switzerland ang pera pero ang mga mamamayang Filipino isang kahig isang tuka parin. Yan ngayon ang gustong gawin ng ibang taong nasa posisyon, samantalahin, gamitin to the max ang posisyon nila at ang laging nabibiktima ay ang mga taong mahihirap na walang perang kayang gamitin para labanan ang mga Mining Company nayan. Paano, ang gobyerno mismo natin ang nasisilaw rin sa salapi, kahit ang kapalit at mga buhay ng kanilang kapwa...

    Mga kababayan, iba na po ang panahon ngayon. kong magkaisa lang tayo, hindi pa huli ang lahat para ituwid ang mga katiwalian sa ating gobyerno. :)C

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