The Great Mining Debate

**Monseratto** · March 2nd, 2012 07:00 PM

Walang quote si MVP?

MANILA, Philippines - Mining advocates and critics on Friday faced off in a forum in Makati City about the impact of the industry on the economy and the environment.

Gina Lopez, managing director of ABS-CBN Foundation and convenor of the Save Palawan Movement, talked about the damage that mining has done in various biodiverse provinces in the country.

Lopez also dismissed the alleged benefits to surrounding communities where mining companies operate, saying the poorest areas in the country are mining areas.

"I'm not against the whole mining industry. My stand is, in an island ecosystem, whether large-scale or small-scale, mining is grossly irresponsible," she told the conference.

She offered eco-tourism as an alternative to mining in the said areas

But Chamber of Mines of the Philippines director Gerard Brimo was quick to defend the mining sector, saying large-scale miners exert effort to rehabilitate the areas they mine.

The barren lands cited by Lopez were not caused by mining, he said, arguing they have been that way due to the presence of minerals that prevent the growth of trees.

Brimo blamed the destruction shown by Lopez to illegal small-scale mining operations.

"Let's look at face of small-scale mining. There was P43 billion worth of gold sold to the central bank. There is child labor, there are no taxes. Why the attack on large-scale? On mining and food security, there's a misconception."

"Poverty is misconstrued. This includes small-scale areas, these are not the legitimate large-scale mines."

Petter Wallace, president of the Wallace Business Forum, meantime, said mining should not be totally banned because it can help the country's economy.

"Mining is unavoidable. The answer I believe is to control mining, banning everything that never works.

"Do the least possible damage, support local community, rehabilitate land during mining and at the end of it," he said.

**Monseratto** · March 2nd, 2012 11:19 PM

Gina Lopez must be one of those holier than thou matronas you see in church. Being accused twice for lying in one day...

While video cameras were on record mode and flashes of light burst from still cameras, a frank exchange of views between Philex Mining chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan and Save Palawan Movement convenor Regina Paz Lopez animated the crowd of mining industry stakeholders at a conference in Makati Friday.

“Manny Pangilinan, you said that the areas that are gonna be mined are ugly anyway, that is so not true. It's not true the areas that are gonna be mined are ugly,” Lopez said as she began her open forum remarks directed at the top Philex executive.

Quickly, Pangilinan stood and reached for the wireless microphone from Lopez.

Addressing Lopez just by her first name, Pangilinan responded.

“Regina have you been to Padcal? Have you been to Silangan in Surigao Del Norte? Who would go there and develop a tourism site? There's nothing there.

Some people in the crowd around them were still cheering in support of Pangilinan when Lopez took the microphone again and repeated her allegation that the Philex chief previously made a blanket statement on all mining tenement areas being “ugly”.

Pangilinan rose again and with pointed forefinger said, “I didn’t say that. Now you’re lying.”

That remark surprised the moderator and the crowd in the function room erupted in even louder cheer.

Minutes prior to her exchange with Pangilinan, Lopez had engaged Chamber of Mines director Gerald Brimo in another frank debate, wherein Lopez said she was not lying in her statements about mining sites and their adverse impact on the ecosystems around them. — ELR, GMA News

**Ry_Tower** · March 3rd, 2012 10:25 AM

^ She does not (obviously) live in a real world. Parang alien lang ah. Taray ni MVP!

**Monseratto** · March 3rd, 2012 10:37 AM

**uls** · March 3rd, 2012 10:43 AM

madali para sa kanya maging treehugger 24/7 coz she doesnt have to work for a living

what makes her dangerous is she can easily spread her ideology using their media company and that's exactly what she's doing

**shadow** · March 3rd, 2012 10:52 AM

Ang ingay ni Regina! Hinde tuloy makagalaw papers namin! Bwisita!

**uls** · March 3rd, 2012 11:09 AM

somebody should check the Lopez family investment portfolio

see if they own mining stocks

**uls** · March 3rd, 2012 11:10 AM

Originally Posted by shadow

Ang ingay ni Regina! Hinde tuloy makagalaw papers namin! Bwisita!

sabi ko nga environmentalists = anti business

**wowiesy** · March 3rd, 2012 06:12 PM

Originally Posted by uls

madali para sa kanya maging treehugger 24/7 coz she doesnt have to work for a living

what makes her dangerous is she can easily spread her ideology using their media company and that's exactly what she's doing

MISMO AND DOUBLE MISMO!!

dzmm, the lopez AM radio station here in manila - is using up a lot of air time on this save palawan movement.. kasama yung teleradyo nila... i can only guess kung ito din ginagawa nila sa other stations nila (maging FM, provincial AM/FM stations)... i wonder kung libre yun (in support of their director?) or nagbabayad din mismo yung foundation (kuno)...

**uls** · March 3rd, 2012 06:28 PM

eto post ko kanina sa isang thread:

that's what happens when govt people get sucked into the pro-environment ideology

remember, the green movement (or whatever it's called) is an ideology

Al Gore and other environmentalists are pushing their ideology worldwide

mabenta sa mga pinoy yan

locally you have Gina Lopez pushing that ideology

with ABSCBN at her disposal she's very dangerous

environmentalists like Al Gore and Gina Lopez are preachers

they are preaching the green gospel

they are brainwashing people

greenies have infiltrated the govt

observe how the ideology is being applied

anti-growth ang ideology na yan