ATM Statement on the EDSA PEOPLE POWER Anniversary
ATM Statement | Febraury 25, 2023
Thirty-seven years ago, the Filipino people exhibited to the world the power of collective action and toppled a dictator of two decades in a matter of four days. The EDSA People Power not only demonstrated strong opposition against the atrocities and abuses of the authoritarian rule of Ferdinand Marcos, Sr., it likewise expressed a common aspiration for truth, democracy and good governance.
Presently, the country is witness to the firm resistance of mining-affected communities against the destruction of the environment. Since the protection of the environment is a major pillar of a democratic society, we see the spirit of EDSA come alive in the struggle against destructive mining.
People are going out of their homes, particularly in Sibuyan, Romblon and Brooke’s Point, Palawan, to form human barricades against trucks transporting mineral ores. They are spending their days and nights in the barricades demanding a stop to mining operations that damage their natural resources and disrupt their community life.
The local governments are asserting their autonomy to govern their municipalities in accordance with their development programs and the will of their citizens. Ordinances and resolutions against large-scale mining are issued to legally concretize and reflect people’s opposition to mining.
In these instances, we see the collective in action, united against huge profiteering corporations and demanding accountability from the national government. Indeed, EDSA persists in the local mining struggles.
As we commemorate the anniversary of the EDSA People Power, Alyansa Tigil Mina commits anew to fight for the protection of the environment alongside the mining Sites of Struggles (SoS).
Furthermore, we vow to exercise our democratic rights to repeal the flawed Mining Act of the Philippines and replace it with a new law that rationalizes the mining industry, preserves the environment, and respects the livelihoods and culture of communities.
We call on the Filipino people to stand in solidarity with environmental defenders and exercise our hard-earned democratic rights against environmental destruction and abuse.
TAYO ANG EDSA. TUMAYO AT IPAGLABAN ANG KALIKASAN.
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