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SMALL SCALE MINING OPERATIONS IN MT. CAPCAPO
By Rosemarie Collo

photo Figure 1 Mt. Capcapo, Licuan – Baay, Abra, the site of small scale mining operations. Its mountainside, along the Abra – Kalinga Road, is already pockmarked with holes and shallow tunnels by miners. Excavated earth materials such as rocks and soil masses accumulated at the slopes might erode and fall down along the national road below.

Background
For some time the Church and its social action office, civil society organizations and the media has been besieged by a number of reports and complaints from the residents of Licuan Baay due to the mining operations, small and large scale alike being done at their ancestral domain area.

Way back in 2007, environmental vanguards of the municipality unified against these mining companies namely Olympus, AMIC and Jabel at Mt. Capcapo, Licuan, Abra.

When the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) intervened and conducted a Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), the mining exploration of Olympus and Jabel was halted due to the no consent decision by nine of the eleven barangays of the municipality.

Later on, the people of Licuan reported that private mining operations are being conducted by persons who are claiming land ownership of some areas in Mt. Capcapo. These individuals are the following: Joel Sannadan, Municipal Planning and Development Officer (MPDO) of LGU Licuan Baay, Santiago

“Magalim” Sannadan, and Eloisa Bingcan Sannadan Bueno, all relatives.

Aware of the dangers of haphazard and irresponsible mining operations, concerned residents asked for assistance from the DENR and the local officials. DENR representatives inspected the site and eventually recommended the stoppage of the operation. On April 21, 2009, a cease and desist order was sent out directed to all small scale miners operating at Capcapo, Poblacion, Licuan – Baay, Abra approved by Gov. Eustaquio P. Bersamin.

Also indicated in the order is the requirement for the miners to secure appropriate mining permit from the Provincial Government.








Figure 2 One of the tunnels located in
Mt. Capcapo.













Figure 3 Working at the bore mills.
Each miner take turns in using the bore mills.











Cease and Desist Order Unheeded
The mining operations continued despite the order from the Office of the Governor which was carried out by the LGU Licuan - Baay Monitoring Team composed of municipal employees designated by Mayor Andres Bayle.

Based from the field/site inspection that the team has conducted on June 24, 2009 in Capcapo, they found out that the order went unheeded as more tunnels were created, signifying that the mining operations continued despite the cease and desist order
Another site inspection was conducted in July, 2009. This time, it was led by the municipal mayor Andres Bayle, together with the military and the police, as well as some residents of Licuan - Baay. Again, for sometime, the operations halted but later resumed by the Sannadan clan.






Figure 4 Another tunnel. Some people say even
the Abra - Kalinga Road is riddled with tunnels
underneath and might cause sinking or collapse
due to heavy rains.












  Figure 5 Piles and piles of gathered mineral ore (naba)
  waiting for processing in the bore mills.








Exposure Trip/Site Validation
On September 3, 2009, a group composed of representatives from the Diocesan Social Action Center (DSAC), Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation of SVD-PHN, Concerned Citizens of Abra for Good Government (CCAGG) and the media, went to Licuan Baay to look upon the complaints of the people.

Based from the interviews with the people, both the mining operators, Santiago and Joel Sannadan, and some people of Licuan – Baay, as well as the actual visit at the mining site in Capcapo, these are the findings of the group:

• Residents of Licuan Baay are bothered why the Cease and Desist Order approved by the Governor is continuously being ignored by Joel Sannadan, Santiago Sannadan, et al. Joel Sannadan also claimed that the cease and desist order was issued because of the problem on ownership of the land in Capcapo which was mediated by the governor, not because of the danger to lives and property as clearly stated in the said order. Santiago and Joel Sannadan also said that because they enjoy ownership of parts of land in Capcapo, it is therefore their right to utilize it in ways they think would benefit them best.






Figure 6 Interview with Santiago 'Magalim'
Sannadan, one of the claimants of a parcel of
land in Capcapo and a mining operator.
















Figure 7 Explosives chanced upon by the monitoring
team of the ENRO during a visit sometime in April 2009.
Use of explosives is prohibited when there is no
supervision from the authorities.








• The residents also reported of the use of prohibited explosives (bongbong) in the mining operations heard during noon time or in the late afternoon. Santiago Sannadan admitted this in an interview with the media reasoning that it makes work easier for them to extract rocks for the bore mills. He also said that they use it sparingly and they are exercising caution in using the explosives.

• People claim that the wastes from the bore mills contaminate their waterways due to siltation that may also affect their farmlands. They also fear that the miners use chemicals that could endanger flora and fauna in the area. Chester and Santiago Sannadan say that they meticulously deposit the wastes away from the creek.

In this case, the people are not assured that the wastes are really contained because of the frequent rains that wash these away. Moreover, people fear that the rocks excavated at Mt. Capcapo which now litter the place, will eventually result to rockslides that may endanger lives. The mining site at present is located near the Abra Kalinga Road. The residents of Brgy. Poblacion said that erosions or landslides may arise due to cutting of timber and tunneling and them, being at the foot of the mountain, will be affected.










Figure 8 Chester Sannadan, one miner, being
interviewed by the members of the media.


















Figure 9 Waste materials from the processed mineral
ore in the bore mills














• People are also apprehensive that the continuous stay of military personnel in the community is somehow connected with the continuing mining operations. They have this perception that the military is cordoning the area in the guise of guarding the community against insurgency but in reality, are preserving the place for future claims of large mining companies.

• The group later found out about the involvement of Rio Dorado, another mining enterprise, in the operations. As per information gathered from one key person of the company, Rio Dorado provided for the bore mills being used in Mt. Capcapo by the small scale miners.

In this regard, the concerned people of Licuan – Baay request for the following:

• The complete enforcement of the cease and desist order to immediately stop all the private mining operations in Mt. Capcapo. Although the need for work cannot be set aside, the people are asking for a dialogue to work out something that may not jeopardize the livelihood of the people but also to promote a more responsible utilization of the resources in their land. It must also be taken into consideration that regardless of the ownership of the land in Capcapo, it is still a part of the ancestral domain of the Binongan tribe of Licuan – Baay, so whatever project that may affect the community should undergo due process.
Also, the continued disregard of these mining operators to the mandate of the local officials and agencies will cast a doubt on the capabilities of the LGU and law enforcers in implementing orders against illegal activities.

• That the military should move out of the community in Brgy. Poblacion, Licuan – Baay. The people respect and appreciate the help the military (41st IB, Phil. Army), had done in Licuan – Baay, but they want the provisions of the Geneva Convention Protocol I and II be followed regarding the prohibition iti setting up camps in areas habited by civilians.

In a resolution of Brgy. Poblacion, Licuan – Baay, Abra in 2008, the people opposed the stay of the elements of the 503rd Recon Coy and 502nd Composite, 77th IB) under the houses of the residents and in areas near the community.

They cited the experience of the people of Tiempo, Tubo wherein a civilian was killed in the encounter between the military and the New Peoples Army because their camp was located inside the barangay. This resolution went unnoticed. To this day, the military personnel are still inside the community and there is information that they are planning to build a concrete barracks still within the vicinity. According to some residents, somebody is willing to donate a lot for them to build their barracks, away from the residents.

It is not prohibited that one should strive for a better life. But doing so should be guided by considerations on its impact to other people as well as the environment. While it is true that mining would mean livelihood for most people, it should also be done in a responsible manner that the resources which are meant to improve lives will not end up as menace for the many.

Would we rather opt for this?


or this?