by Camille Joyce Lita
A mining bill pending in the House of Representatives will support the rights of indigenous peoples and the environment, according to Kalikasan Partylist.
First introduced in 2011, the People’s Mining Bill (PMB) has been filed for the third time in the 17th Congress, which seeks to replace Republic Act (RA) 7942 or Mining Act of 1995.
Several mining mishaps were recorded under the implementation of the current mining law, such as the 1996 Marcopper minespill in Marinduque and water contamination in Itogon, Benguet by Philex Mining Corporation in 2012, according to IBON Foundation.
Moreover, thousands of Lumads have been forced out of their ancestral lands to make way for the operations of mining corporations.
“Now, our mining is oriented towards exporting cheap raw materials. With PMB, we will significantly reduce the volume of environmental destruction,” said Kalikasan Partylist President Clemente Bautista, Jr. ■
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