Mines social projects felt in Camp 3

TUBA, Benguet -- The boons of mining are felt on the ground when given directly to the communities in the form of social development projects. But they could enjoy millions more from the shares in the national wealth of the municipal government and barangays and indigenous peoples’ royalties if planned well.

The millions of pesos spent by Philex Mining Corporation (Philex) for Social Development and Management Projects (SDMP) were evident in various in the host and affected communities of their mining operations in Camp 3, Tuba, Benguet based on recent interviews.

Philex is one of the two mining companies operating in the Cordilleras; the other one is Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company. Philex started operations in 1950’s and covers the

municipalities of Tuba and Itogon in Benguet Province.

Based on the Philippine – Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative’s (PH-EITI) Third Country Report in 2014, Philex had spent P60,041,540 for social development and management projects for the barangays hosting its operations.

Eden Gumila, 48, a farmer from Sitio Torre in Upper Camp 3, has five children. The eldest, 26, is employed by Philex as a casual in the exploration project.

Similarly, other residents from the host community are employed when qualified for the similar available jobs.

The eldest daughter of Gumila is to graduate a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Science in May using the scholarship grant provided by the mining company. Two of her children are also college and senior high school scholars through the same grant.

Without the company’s initiative, she would not have sent her children to school due to lack of financial resources as her family’s subsistence depends mainly on her income from gardening vegetables.

Her produce is now brought to the Baguio City market through a concrete 10- kilometer road, which they used to hike by foot before the mining company funded the road networks. She and other neighbors also hire available vehicles to transport their vegetables from their gardens.

But apart from the farm-to-market road, Gumila aspires for other livelihood projects suitable to the resources available in their community, likewise, their skills. Education and livelihood programs are some of the many components of the SDMP.

In terms of health services, last year, she was diagnosed with typhoid fever and was admitted at the Benguet General Hospital. She received a reimbursement worth P5,000 for her laboratory test expenses and medicines, while her hospitalization was fully-covered by her Phil Health premiums sponsored by Philex.

A three-room rural health center in Sitio Torre was also constructed under the SDMP. One room is designed for maternal and child care while the other two rooms can be used for in-patients. This facility is still unused for health and medical services except for ordinary

consultations because the barangay unit has not connected the electric service as its counterpart.

Gumila and her family is just one of the more than 10,413 residents (PSA 2010) of Brgy. Camp 3 enjoying the benefits of the millions of funds spent directly by the mining company to improve the quality of their lives.

But the millions of shares on national wealth from mining operations received by the local government units are yet to be seen and felt by the people.

The same PH-EITI Third Country Report shows that the local government of Tuba received no less than P7,002,340 share in the taxes paid by Philex. These millions, however, are not released on time by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), according to Tuba Municipal Treasurer Mary Rosaline Leon.

The DBM requires local government units to identify programs and projects to

be funded before shares from mining taxes are released.

“Walang ginagawa ang LGU (local government unit),” Gumila said, referring to the promise of the municipal and barangay government unit to respond to their need for more water sources.

Water shortage has been repeatedly raised as a problem in the community because of several factors attributed to the mining operation of Philex, population growth, vegetable garden expansion, and climate change. Although a water pump has been provided by the mining company, more water pumps are needed to supply the water needs for farming, the main source of living of the host communities.

This need could have been easily addressed if only the indigenous peoples (IPs) in Camp 3 took advantage of the opportunity to identify community development programs and/or projects where the indigenous peoples’ royalties could be applied. These IP royalties are paid by mining companies operating in areas with Certificates of Ancestral Domain Title.

From January 2008 to December 2012, IP royalties were released to theIndigenous Peoples Organization – Alang, Pacsol, Puguis, Santa Fe, Oliba, Loakan (IPOAPPSOL) amounting to some P382 million, according to Adam Ventura, former President of the IPO during a forum at Sitio Torre recently.

In 2014 alone, Philex paid P45,528,749 for IP royalties based on the same report earlier mentioned. This amount, however, has not been accessed by the indigenous peoples in Tuba due to the cancellation of registration of the IPOAPPSOL.

According to the Michael Umaming, Technical Management Services Division of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) – CAR, the cancellation was due to their failure to account for the use of the IP royalties received from 2008 to 2012. Ventura, who assumed presidency in 2012, explained that he requested for audit reports from the

previous officers. However, none was provided.

A Memorandum of Agreement was earlier forged between Philex and the 16 clans who are ancestral domain claimants. Other clans wanted entitlement to the benefits from the IP royalties after having heard that the royalties were distributed in the form of cash, which was not supposed to be the case.

“The royalties should only be released if there is a indigenous community development plan,” Umaming stressed further explaining that the royalties should be allocated for community development programs and/or projects determined with consensus by the indigenous peoples.

The PH-EITI provides all relevant information on the financial aspect of the mining and other extractive industries like taxes paid, share in national wealth, IP royalties, and mandatory expenditures and funds. These do not only intend to provide transparency to the public but also to drive the communities to holistically plan the use of their wealth while the extractive industries still operate. Nonette Benette