DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 1, 2011) – Ethnic tribesmen opposed to mining activities in South Cotabato province raided the Sagittarius Mines Inc. (SMI) and disarmed security guards in the southern Philippines.
There were no reports of a firefight, but tribesmen carted away weapons they took from security guards manning the mining firm in the village of Tablu in Tampakan town.
“We have been deceived by the company into thinking that this mine will bring us development and peace. The opposite is true. Now we have lost our livelihood, and we have no peace. What is more, the company is driving us away from our homes and our ancestral lands. So we have no other recourse but to fight back,” a statement from the group calling itself the “Red Pangayaw” said Thursday.
Pangayaw is the tribesmen version of revenge for wrongs committed against the lumads and their way of life.
“For the past five years since Xstrata started its exploration of our ancestral lands, we have tried to tell them peacefully that we do not want the mines. We do not want to destroy our mountains, our rivers and our hunting grounds. We do not want the meager income they give us in exchange for our livelihood.”
“But they have been adamant in their desire to extract the gold and copper from our lands. Because they say our lands are rich with minerals. And they, the foreigners – Xstrata – want these minerals for themselves. So there has been trouble. They deployed the 27th and the 39th Infantry Battalions – Task Force Kitaco and several companies of security guards to pacify us, silence us, and later drive us away. We tried to negotiate, we
tried to barricade and we tried to petition. But everything has come to naught. So now there is no other recourse but to fight back,” the statement added.
The leftist National Democratic Front of the Philippines praised the tribesmen who carried out the raid for their courage and determination to stand up against an “enemy as daunting and as powerful as Xstrata-SMI.”
SMI operates the Tampakan Project on behalf of its shareholders Xstrata Copper, Indophil Resources NL and Tampakan Group of Companies. SMI’s 40% controlling equity is a joint venture between Xstrata Copper (62.5%) and Indophil Resources NL (37.5%). The 60% non-controlling equity shareholders of SMI are the Tampakan Mining Corporation and Southcot Mining Corporation that makes up the Tampakan Group of Companies.
Xstrata Copper is part of Xstrata plc, a global diversified mining group and is the world’s fourth largest copper producer with operations and projects in eight countries. While Indophil Resources NL, an Australian publicly listed company, and the Tampakan Group of Companies, incorporated in the Philippines, have had a long involvement in the exploration of the project.
SMI said if developed, the Tampakan Project has the potential to make a significant contribution to the country’s economic prosperity and enable a better future for the people of southern Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)
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