MS. GINA LOPEZ OF THE SAVE PALAWAN MOVEMENT AND ABS-CBN FOUNDATION VS MR. GERARD BRIMO OF PHILEX MINING CORPORATION AND FORMERLY OF THE CHAMBER OF MINES OF THE PHILIPPINES

1. MS. GINA LOPEZ
OF THE SAVE PALAWAN MOVEMENT
AND ABS-CBN FOUNDATION
VS
MR. GERARD BRIMO
OF PHILEX MINING CORPORATION
AND FORMERLY OF THE CHAMBER OF MINES
OF THE PHILIPPINES

2. The Mining Debate in Development At Work Fora
25 May & 3 June 2011
25 May 2011, 3 June 2011 -- The Center for De- Speaking as the head of the Save Palawan
velopment Management’s (CDM) Development Movement, Lopez showed videos and photo-
At Work seminar series hosted the debate on graphs of her travels to Palawan’s virgin forests,
mining in Palawan on two consecutive fora. Ms. with clean waters and wild flora and fauna, as
Gina Lopez of the Save Palawan Movement and well as her conversations with the indigenous
ABS-CBN Foundation spoke on May 25 2011, peoples of these areas that live with and off of
and Mr. Gerard Brimo of Philex Mining Corpo- these natural resources. In stark contrast to
ration and formerly of the Chamber of Mines of these beautiful images were those of mining
the Philippines presented his counter-argument sites, from the past and in more recent times,
on June 3 2011. and how these have changed natural landscapes
and seascapes, and how mining accidents have
adversely affected people’s lives.
Showing highlighted maps of regions that are
currently going through large-scale mining, as
well as those with mining applications, including
Palawan and Zamboanga, Lopez bravely
pointed a finger not just at mining corporations,
but also at the national and local governments.
According to her, while laws exist to guard
against mining in protected areas, this does not
usually matter given corruption on the level of
local governments. Mining corporations become
the source of development in these areas as they
build schools and hospitals and homes, which
puts the local government at an advantage of
not having to spend on these basic services for
their constituents. Lopez also pointed out that
in these areas where mining exists, towns remain
impoverished, highlighting the fact that the
profits from mining do not go back to the
community.
Gina Lopez on mining’s adverse effects Because it’s clear to Lopez and the Save Palawan
movement the “benefits” of mining, she asks
The premise of Ms. Gina Lopez’s presentation the basic question: is it worth it? Do the benefits
on mining was simple: the Philippines has the of mining outweigh the damage that it could do
most biodiverse natural forests, the kind where on the environment? Can we – or should we –
animal and plant species have yet to be named ignore the possibility of an accident happening
and discovered, the kind that should not fall in mining sites, given our experiences with such?
victim to the effects of mining, as so much of
our land already has. More on Gina Lopez.
More on the Save Palawan Movement.

3. concerned, is crucial to a better assessment of
mining’s presence in the country.
A presence that, as far as he is concerned, has
been well-controlled across the country, and
even more so in Palawan where provincial min-
ing laws are followed alongside national mining
laws. Brimo also mentioned the fact that the
photos of mining sites left in disarray, are of the
past, before there was a sense of a environmen-
talism and sustainable development in the coun-
try and the world. He also highlighted how the
areas that have gone through lateritic mining
actually aren't biodiverse forests, owing precisely
to the fact of this mineral not being conducive
to that kind of growth.
Showing images of what happens in current
mining sites that respect local laws on the envi-
ronment, Brimo's presentation also highlighted
large scale mining's successful efforts at reforest-
ing area upon area of mined sites. Alongside the
Gerard Brimo on large scale mining's bene- infrastructure that they build for and the ser-
fits to the community vices they provide the community, Brimo high-
lighted how mining corporations actually do
Gerard Brimo’s presentation responded to the more than they are required, where they create
Save Palawan Movement in two ways: first, by industry and capital in areas that previously had
clarifying certain photographs, maps and very little of it.
sources that the latter used in its own presenta-
tion, and second, by highlighting the mining In the end, as far as Brimo is concerned, it is a
sector’s own efforts at contributing to the com- question of saving Palawan and the environment
munities they become part of. from mining; it’s a matter of seeing that mining,
ecotourism and environmentalism can go hand
With regards maps that highlight the areas in hand towards development.
where large scale mining exists vis a vis mining
applications, Brimo asserts that in fact many of More on Gerard Brimo.
these applications are never approved, and will
just stay on that map without actually beginning More on the Chamber of Mines Philippines.
operations. A revision of that map, as far as he’s