Press Release

MANILA, Philippines – Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM), an advocacy group on environmental and human rights issues and people’s movement composed of more than eighty (80) organizations from mining-affected communities and civil society organizations nationwide, said the Tampakan mining venture in South Cotabato create environmental devastation and will further induce conflict in the area.

MANILA, Philippines – Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM), an advocacy group on environmental and human rights issues and people’s movement composed of more than eighty (80) organizations from mining-affected communities and civil society organizations nationwide, denounces the killings of environmental activists Gensun Agustin in Buguey Cagayan and Ricardo Ganad in Victoria, Oriental Mindoro.

MANILA, Philippines – Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM), an advocacy group on environmental and human rights issues and people’s movement composed of more than eighty (80) organizations from mining-affected communities and civil society organizations nationwide, calls for a moratorium on large-scale mining operations to mitigate El Niño impacts.

MANILA, Philippines – Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM), an advocacy group and people’s movement composed of more than eighty (80) organizations from mining-affected communities and civil society organizations nationwide, feared the appointment of longtime Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) director Horacio Ramos as the new Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) secretary that will put indigenous groups at higher risk to mining impacts.

MANILA, Philippines –Sibuyan Island communities in Romblon province express disappointment on Tuesday regarding the large-scale mining license given by the Philippine government to a Canada-based mining firm.

......Domingo Marin, father of slain anti-mining councilor Armin Rios-Marin and President of of Sibuyan-based advocacy group Sibuyanons Against Mining (SAM) supported by Sibuyan ISLE, says that “Sibuyan folks are disgusted and annoyed with this kind of development, we were not even informed about the approval and no news whatsoever. We just knew about it when a statement of Pelican was published on the internet.”

MANILA, Philippines – Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM), an advocacy group and people’s movement composed of more than eighty (80) organizations from mining-affected communities and civil society organizations nationwide, expressed dismay over the appointment of longtime Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) director Horacio Ramos as the new Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) secretary.

This is a reaction to Manila Bulletin’s published article entitled “National Day on Nauru” dated January 30, 2010. The article has stated that phosphate mining has made Nauru ‘one of the richest countries in the world in per capita income’. This article has caught the attention of our network called Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM), which has been studying the long-term impacts of mining as it relates to sustainable development.

MANILA, Philippines – Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM), an advocacy group and people’s movement composed of more than eighty (80) organizations from mining-affected communities and civil society organizations nationwide, welcomes the writ of kalikasan (nature) as a progressive measure taken by the court in an effort to address the injustices related to extractive industries and mining in particular, in the country.

MANILA, Philippines – A congressional inquiry into the issue-laden proposed large-scale mining in the island of Mindoro revealed several flaws in the DENR process of approving mining applications.  The House Committee on Natural Resources today tackled House Resolution 1492, wherein the DENR was alleged to have committed violations in its process of issuing an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) to Intex Resources, owner of the Mindoro Nickel Project.

MANILA, Philippines – Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM), an advocacy group and a people’s movement composed of more than eighty (80) organizations from mining-affected communities and civil society organizations nationwide, urge government to use geohazard maps to review mining tenements and abandoned mines to prevent mining disaster.