Foreign capitalist companies milk semicolonial and semifeudal countries like the Philippines. It is tied to oppressive and exploitative economic and political laws that make Filipino people further suffer. Livelihoods of the masses (farmers and farm workers in the countryside) have been put on the brink of death while big comprador bourgeoisie-landlords seize billions of profits from neoliberal projects like mining operations that suck wealth out of the country’s land.
Negros Island is one of those blessed with abundant natural resources and fertile lands. The people rely on the mountains for their livelihood to meet their need to live. However, the entry of big foreign mining companies such as Midan Corporation has become an obstacle to their livelihood as it targets to dig the mountains in the barangays of San Francisco, Milagrosa, Fatima, San Pedro, all in Sta. Catalina, Negros Oriental and other barangays bordering the towns of Santa Catalina, Siaton, and Valencia, Negros Oriental.
Midan Corporation, a Korean company, is targeting to demolish 844 hectares of land. The operation began in 2022 through its permit approved by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in 2018. But it was discovered that it had no permit from the provincial and local government and it did not hold a public consultation.
The main livelihood of farmers in the area is planting coconut, corn, rice, banana, and ginger which are being threatened to be destroyed by large equipment of the mining company in exchange for gold, silver, copper, and other minerals for export.
Due to the residents’ fear of the damage caused by the company’s large-scale exploration, they made a collective effort to launch protest rallies along with municipal and barangay officials of Sta. Catalina last April 12 against the ongoing exploration in Sitio Tarug, Brgy. San Francisco in the said town. Before this, residents from several areas targeted for mining made a joint resolution to call for an immediate halt of the mining exploration before it becomes a full-scale operation that will harm the people and the environment. It can be recalled that the municipal council has already declared Sitio Tarug as an area for eco-tourism. It has also been declared as a watershed area with rich biodiversity, waterfalls, and cave systems, and serves as habitat for thousands of fruit and vampire bats.
Just like Tatay Pedro, a farmer in the area, married with three children, who is worried about the damage of mining to his livelihood. Tatay Pedro is a tenant with insufficient income because of unjust land rent (wherein one part of the net income is given to the landlord and the rest to the tenant who also shoulders all the expenses) so he was forced to work as part-time guard in the mine to supplement expenses for his family’s needs. But in the long run, Tatay foresaw that his production was gradually affected and the land tilled by residents was also destroyed, which will eventually displace their livelihood. Thus, Tatay Pedro is part of the many people who oppose the continuation of gold exploration for foreigners while rich resources of the land where they live and they rely on for their livelihoods are being destroyed.
The terror that is now faced by residents affected by the mining operations in several towns in Negros Oriental has also become a nightmare for residents who were victims of mining operations in the southern portion of Negros Occidental. It can be recalled that the barangays of Manlucahoc, Camindangan, and Nabulao in Sipalay City; Brgy. Damutan, Hinobaan; and Brgy. Gatuslao, Candoni were excavated by big mining companies. The damages of Lepanto Mining, Colet Mining, Selenga Mining, and Philex Mining continue to trouble the residents. The impact of mining to their livelihood and the environment has become long-term such as erosion of the land they are tilling and rock slides burying their crops, wells and springs that were once sources of potable water are now unusable due to chemicals used, the death of various kinds of trees, plants, and animals that thrive on land and near the river and also fish kill. Part of their worries is the proliferation of skin diseases caused by mining wastes that poisoned the river water affecting residents of barangays Mambarato, Cabadiangan, and Manlucahoc, all in Sipalay City.
Cracks in the land due to mining has become a catastrophe for the lives of residents until now because the city’s local government did not address the problem and the big mining companies ignored the harm they passed on to the people.
As the economic and political power of the ruling class in cahoots with money-grubbing bureaucrats and military froces continues to expand, the people expect the depletion of the country’s natural resources. Profits of foreign capitalists grow in exchange for harm and danger to the lives and livelihood of the people. In the long experience on Negros Island regarding the control of natural resources and land-grabbing, the people’s strength is decisive in confronting these.
The masses’ push for a just struggle to acquire land for livelihood, for humane working conditions, lives free from disasters caused by destructive mining operations, and an end to state fascism and terrorism targeting the people both in the cities and the countryside is crucial at this time. Only the people’s strength alongside the continuing advancement of the armed revolution is the solution to the worsening oppression and exploitation of the people.
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