PUERTO PRINCESA (RVA News): Bishop Socrates Mesiona, of the apostolic vicariate of Puerto Princesa, and Bishop Broderick Pabillo, of the apostolic Vicariate of Taytay, issued a joint pastoral statement denouncing the dispersal and arrest of anti-mining protesters in Palawan, the Philippines.
“We are deeply saddened and strongly condemn the violent dispersal and unlawful arrests conducted last Friday, April 14, against peaceful rallyists by close to a hundred private security guards of Ipilan Nickel Corporation in Brooke’s Point, backed by a contingent of 30 PNP [Philippine National Police] forces who silently watched and abetted them,” the bishops said in the joint statement.
According to the bishops, the protesters “consistently” secured “valid permits” from authorities for staging rallies to make their concerns public. The protesters called on the mining firm to “immediately stop” its operations following the expiration of its mayor’s permit to operate on 1 February 2023.
Bishop Mesiona and Bishop Pabillo noted that the mayor’s office had also issued a cease and desist order to the mining firm, but instead of complying with the authorities, the mining firm “acted in blatant defiance of the law” with its continuous operations.
“The company took the law into its own hands by deploying its large private security force in violently dispersing the peaceful rallyists. Some were beaten up, injured, and unlawfully arrested in plain sight. With the silent support of the PNP law officers ironically sworn to uphold the law and maintain peace and order, without fear and favour,” the statement said.
The protesters, including indigenous peoples, farmers, fisherfolk, and ordinary citizens, have staged rallies in the past three months to protect the environment.
The company took the law into its own hands by deploying its large private security force in violently dispersing the peaceful rallyists. Some were beaten up, injured, and unlawfully arrested in plain sight. With the silent support of the PNP law officers ironically sworn to uphold the law and maintain peace and order, without fear and favour
Palawan is one of the premier tourist destinations in the Philippines. The northern coastal town of El Nido draws local and international tourists to its white-sand beaches and coral reefs. Coron, another town in Palawan, is known for world-class World War II-era wreck diving. It is also famed for its landscapes, beaches, freshwater lakes, and coral reefs.
“They have been peacefully protesting against the destructive mining in Brooke’s Point, encroaching on the Mount Mantalingahan Protected Landscape for the benefit of a few rich and powerful vested interests, not even from Palawan.” The bishops said.
The rallyists, according to the bishops, have been “peacefully” protesting the destruction of forests, watersheds, indigenous lands, farms, and water sources. The destruction has extensively damaged livelihoods and caused flooding in Brooke’s Point.
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Brooke’s Point is a coastal and first-class town named after Sir James Brooke, an Englishman and the first white Rajah of Sarawak. Brooke’s Point is known for its Kaniyog’n Festival, waterfalls, and cultural heritage.
In support of the protesters, the bishops appealed to the provincial prosecutors to drop all the “trumped up charges” against the them and make the private security force of the mining firm and the PNP officers accountable for the violent dispersal and unlawful arrests.
Bishop Mesiona and Bishop Pabillo have also called on the President, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development to “permanently stop” the mining operations of Ipilan Nickel Corp. and other mining companies operating in watersheds and protected areas.
They also demanded that the PNP and courts “respect and protect the protesters’ constitutional right.
In a previous statement, the Ipilan Nickel Corp. insisted that only the national government of the Philippines could cancel its permit to operate.
Bishop Mesiona and Bishop Pabillo called on Filipinos and the people of Palawan to “manifest support and strong solidarity” with anti-mining protesters with their presence, resources, and prayers.
The Alyansa Tigil Mina, a coalition of anti-mining groups, said at least six protesters had been arrested.
In February, the Palawan Provincial Information Office reported a 964 per cent surge in tourist arrivals in the province in 2022 after the government loosened Covid-19 restrictions. In 2021, the tourist arrival rate in the province was -79.60 per cent.
