Oceana Gold, an Australian-New Zealand company, started full commercial operations in Brgy. Didipio in 2013, under a Financial and Technical Assistance Agreement granted under the Philippine Mining Act. This Act of 1995 has paved the way for this level of environmental destruction, which is now part of the reality of the community folks living in Didipio, Nueva Viscaya. They want to halt the operations of Oceana Gold after experiencing the ill-effects of open-pit mining in their community.
They desperately hope to win this struggle so that natural resources, or what's left of it, will remain intact. In the future, more sustainable ways of using natural resources are aspirations of the community.
The area is prone to typhoons and landslides. The threat of mine tailings reaching the community during the aforementioned events are real. In the long run, the community will lose their ancestral land or what remains of it.
This documentary shows the destructive effects of open pit mining on the environment, livelihoods, and culture of indigenous peoples.
As of now, the permit of Oceana Gold is still pending. The community has put up barricades to disrupt the operation of the company, but their operations still continue.
Please share this issue on social media. Sign the petition here.
To learn more about this story, read this.
