With the support of the Ateneo School of Government (ASOG) , the Institute of Environmental Science for Social Change (ESSC) put together institutional documentation of previous mining dialogues and mine site visits that ESSC facilitated with various stakeholders in mining.

Reports in PDF format:

• Impression Report on the International Study Tour and Mine Visits to Western Australia, 26 October to 1 November 2003 [ESSC, 2007] (128KB)
• National Status of Mining Related Conflicts: Learning from Mining Dialogues and Visits [ESSC, March 2008] (214KB)
• Community and Mining in the Philippines - Final Project Report [ESSC, March 2008] (146kb)

Accompanying these reports were ESSC’s overview and analysis in each of the reports that focused on the mining-related conflicts and concerns that indigenous and local communities, local governments and other on-site mining stakeholders identified, the mechanisms for addressing these conflicts and concerns, and the capacity and gaps of these mechanisms.

Site Visit Dialogues:

• 2000 Site Visit and Dialogue: Site visit to Philex Mining Corporation - Mining Dialogue in Benguet [BBC Cluster on the Environment and Indigenous Peoples and ESSC, March 2008] (833KB)
• 2000 Mining Dialogue in Surigao del Norte [BBC Cluster on the Environment and Indigenous Peoples and ESSC, March 2008] (534KB)
• 2001 Site Visit and Dialogue: Mining Issues in Canatuan, Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte[BBC Cluster on the Environment and Indigenous Peoples and ESSC, March 2008] (387KB)

Legacy Mine Visits:

• 2003 Legacy Mine Visit: Benguet Corporations Contractual Mining Agreement and Small-scale Mining Agreement in Itogon, Benguet [Philippine Working Group on Mining and ESSC, March 2008] (1,011KB)
• 2003 Legacy Mine Visit: Atlas Consolidated Mining Development Corporation, Toledo City, Cebu - Environmental and Community Impact [Philippine Working Group on Mining and ESSC, March 2008] (1,422KB)
• 2003 Legacy Mine Visit: Manila Mining Corporation in Surigao del Norte Mining District - Struggling with Corporate Social Responsibility at the Local [Philippine Working Group on Mining and ESSC, March 2008] (881KB)

Mining Related Maps:

• Atlas Mining Site, Toledo City, Cebu (A4 size, 165KB)
• Benguet B.L.I.S.T Land Use Map (A4 size, 276KB)
• Benguet Geological and Mineral Resources Distribution Map (A3 size, 565KB)
• Benguet Major Watershed Map (A4 size, 472KB)
• Itogon and the Baguio Mineral District, Benguet Province (A4 size, 92KB)
• Tenure and Resource Management in Lituban Watershed, Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte (A3 size, 1,276KB)
• Manila Mining Corporation Mine Site, Placer, Surigao del Norte (A4 size, 92KB)
• Surigao Mining District, Surigao del Norte, Caraga Region (A4 size, 156KB)

An essay on mining in the Philippines was also developed that integrated ESSC’s various inputs in other fora and discussions and puts forward an analysis that intends to contribute critically in setting a new agenda in the mining discussions.

Three years into the implementation of the National Minerals Policy, there is a need to define an appropriate dialogue strategy in the coming years. And this needs to take into account the complexity of mining-related conflicts and recent events that reveal the weaknesses of relevant policies, lapses and gaps in governance and the poor level of accountability demonstrated by some mining companies in dealing with environmental and social acceptability issues to mining projects.

At the national level, it is presently difficult to initiate as the credibility and trust is very low. National government line agencies such as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and its Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) and the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) , with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) are hard put to respond to the various concerns emerging from specific mining-related situations. Mining-related conflicts and associated environmental and socio-cultural (especially, indigenous peoples) issues, as well as of mining companies that are aggressively entering areas, are sprouting in different parts of the country.

Concerned government agencies and mining companies must prove that they are undertaking concrete actions to meet tougher accountability standards to establish the much needed trust.

The opportunity for dialogue is more workable at the local or regional level discussions, without completely discounting the opportunities for national (and international) engagements. Conflicts are necessarily local, affecting lives, livelihoods, relationships and cultures, communities and the immediate environment. It is the in situ stakeholders – indigenous and local communities, local governments units, local groups and assisting non government organizations, church groups, mining companies – who are feeling the impact most and whose capacity in accessing and processing information and decision making need to be strengthened.