ALYANSA
TIGIL
MINA

More than 3,000 residents of Cantilan town is Surigao del Sur signed a petition yesterday, opposing the entry of mining operations of Marcventures Mining Development Corporation (MMDC). During the celebration of its town fiesta, Cantilanos expressed opposition to the mining operations after exposing irregularities in the mining contract of MMDC, with Mayor Genito Guardo leading by example and publicly declaring that he will continue to deny issuing a business permit for MMDC operations.

protecting the critical watershed and forest reserve was signed by Arroyo last March 23, 2009, and covers 43,601 hectares, encompassing the towns of Cantilan and Madrid in Surigao del Sur and three other towns in Agusan del Norte.

the mining contract and the incorporation of the company do not jibe, leading us to suspect that there was not enough diligence and lack of transparency in the application”, he said. “We will not allow our natural resources to be destroyed, especially if the transaction is clearly riddled with irregularities”, he concluded.

In the same light, indigenous peoples spoke against the mining project, stressing that they were never consulted about the project, nor did they give their consent for its entry. Datu Jimmy Bat-ao, a Manobo tribal chieftain, argued that their ancestral lands are located within the direct impact areas of the proposed mining project. “No one from the mining company explained to us about the project, no one asked us