PRESS RELEASE
Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment urges more thoroughgoing regulations beyond the suspension of the mining operations of the Riverbend Consolidated Mining Corporation in the towns of Banaybanay and Pantukan in Davao Oriental.
This mine spill spells more mining disasters to come if we do not reinstate the open pit mine ban and new mining application moratorium that President Rodrigo Duterte passed.
Despite safety certifications from these mining companies, incidents like this still happen. This is the myth of so-called responsible mining, with companies like Riverbend Mining being the norm rather than the exception.
The now red orange waters of the Maputi River reflect the destruction that large-scale mining causes. The overflow from the waste basin of the mining operations is a reminder that the so-called engineering solutions of the current brand of large-scale mining cannot scale up to the ever worsening climate crisis.
The buck does not end with this suspension of Riverbend Mining, as this would not have happened if the Department of Environment and Natural Resources did not issue compliance to the mining company in the first place.
There should be a moratorium on new mining projects, especially destructive open pit mines, until a new, more robust mining law such as the People’s Mining Bill is enacted. President Duterte and Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu must be held accountable for allowing these mines to operate despite having such irresponsible operations.#
