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June 17-23, 2013

Privileged spits
BY TOTO CAUSING

Dahil sa Gates of Hell na pagtawag sa Maynila ng sikat na taga-akda na si Dan Brown (sumikat sa kanyang nobela na Da Vinci Code), naalaala ko tuloy si Manuel L. Quezon na nagsabi noon: I RATHER WANT A COUNTY RUN LIKE HELL BY FILIPINOS THAN ONE RUN LIKE HEAVEN BY FOREIG-NERS. Ayon, matapos ang Pilipinas ay magkaroon ng mga matitinong presidente gaya ni Quezon, Sergio Osmea, Manuel Roxas, Elpidio Quirino, Ramon Mag-saysay, Carlos Garcia at Diosdado Macapagal (si Dadong at hindi yung pekeng anak nya na si Gloria na ang opinyon ng may akda nito ay ayon sa katotohanan na wala kang makikita na pandak sa kanyang mga anak maliban kay Glorya), PINATAKBO ANG PILIPINAS NA PARANG IMPIERNO. Mukhang tama si Dan Brown sa kanyang bagong nobela na Inferno.

Sinimulan ni Marcos ang mahabang kasaysayan na nakawan. Naibsan ng konti nang dumating si Cory sa pamamagitan ng lakas ng EDSA 1. At malaki ang nabawas sa panahon nga-yon ni PNoy kahit pa totoo na marami syang mga iniluklok sa pwesto na mga nangangawat. Pinauso naman ni Ka Fidel ang win-win situation na kung saan ang lahat ng mga kawatan na negosyante at pulitiko ay maligaya kasama na ang mga nagpasasa sa mga kontrata, ang iba nito ay ang mga sumusunod: (1) INDEPENDENT POWER PRODUCERS CONTRACTS na syang dahilan ng kalbaryo sa taas ng presyo ng kuryente na binabayaran ng mga mamamayan; (2) PEA-AMARI SCANDAL sa pagtatambak ng lupa sa Manila Bay na kung saan ay makikita mo ngayon na

isang napaka-unlad na lugar na pina-ngungunahan ng SM Mall of Asia; (3) P10-BILLION EXPO FILIPINO PROJECT SA PAMPANGA NA HINDI GUMAGANANGAYON; (4) PAGBEBENTA NG FORT BONIFACIO PARA KUNO PAMBILI SA MODERNISASYON NG SANDATA NG AFP, NA HINDI NAMAN NANGYARI; at (5) PANLALANSI NI REGHIS ROMERO NG R-II BUILDERS NA NANALO KUNO SA P3-BILLION SMOKEY MOUNTAIN PROJECT DAHIL DAW SAPAT ANG KANYANG PERA PARA MAIPATUPAD ANG KONTRATA PERO LUMABAS NA UUTANG LANG PALA SA SSS, GSIS AT PAG-IBIG NG P3 BILLION PARA LUTUIN SA SARILING MANTIKA ANG GOBYERNO, NA HINDI RIN TINAPOS ANG KONTRATA AT HINDI PA BINAYARAN ANG SSS, GSIS AT PAG-IBIG. Pinatuloy ni Erap sa unang araw ng pag-upo

ANG TUNAY NA GATES OF HELL

nya ang win-win system at kumita rin ang mga bumubuo ng Erap administration mula sa mga klase-klasen g transaksyon. Kasama sa napagkitaan sa panahaon ni Erap ay ang giyera na pinatupad niya laban sa MILF na hindi alam ng tao na bilyonbilyon ang nakumisyon sa mula sa mga bala at armas at nagiging kawawa ang mga namatay na sundalo at miyembro ng MILF na kapwa Pilipino rin. Ang masakit, di nila alam na ginawa lang pala sila na parang mga piyon sa chess. Ayon sa kliyente ng akda nito, kung saan ay ang kliyente ay dating kumander ng MILF, nagtataka siya noon na habang nakikipaglaban at paubos na rin ang kanyang bala ay hindi sila binigyan ng pamunuan ng MILF ng bagong supply ng bala at pag-kain. Dinagdag pa ng kliyente na samakatwid, bigla silang inutusan ng mga pamunuan ng MILF na magwithdraw mula sa kanilang pwesto sa pagdedepensa ng Camp Busra. Maya-maya raw ay nakita niya ang mga heneral ng AFP kasama ang nagpakamatay na si Gen. Angelo Reyes. Kasu-nod noon ay nakita niya si Erap at may dala pa silang mga litson ng baboy at nagboodle fight sa mga sundalo matapos ipalipad ang bandera ng Pilipinas sa Camp Busra. May suspetsa itong kliyente na kumita rin ng milyon-milyon ang ilang sa mga pamunuan ng MILF at ang milyon-milyong ito ay binigay ni Erap para lamang na tanghaling sikat at bida si Erap bilang victorious president. Ni-raid din ni Erap na parang kanya ang SSS at GSIS na inutusan na bumili ng shares of stocks ng BW Resources ni Dante Tan. Ito ay kinontra noon ni

Perfecto Jun Yasay bilang SEC chairman at binulgar ang panggigipit ni Erap para pilitin ang pamunuan ng SSS at GSIS na bumili ng shares of stocks mula sa BW Resources. Di nagtagal ay bumagsak ang presyo ng shares ng BW Resources at maraming mga negosyante ang umiyak ng dugo nang naglaho na parang bula ang kanilang mga milyones na pinaghirapan na ginamit pambili sa mga shares of stocks, dahil ang dating mahigit P100 na presyo ng kada sipi ng BW Resources ay bumagsak sa P10 o mas mababa pa: SWINDLING NA ANG LAKI AY ECONOMIC SABOTAGE. Si Bubby Dacer noon ay may hawak ng mga dokumento ng BW Resources dahil sa siya noon ay inupahan ni Dante Tan na magiging PR Crisis Manager. Matapos ilang araw, dinukot si Dacer at ang kanyang driver na si PAGE 7

Priests neglect illegal small scale mining...page 2

better their lifestyle. It helps local farmer grow better crops and plantations. When the mining is over the company leaves the area in much better environment than it was before. The mining company is the biggest and tax payer in a certain area. The mine is often in the remote area where none of the amenities can be found. The local people leave at tribal level with their own culture, language and community rules. Where there is an existing community the miner still takes over many of the responsibility normally the job of the government and often the miner does it better (Simon Halley, Philippine Resources 2010). Ironically, while carrying these burdens of responsibility, the miners encounter opposition from (1) people wanting their share of gold, (2) Roman Catholic Church, (3) politicians and other people with vested interest. However, in fairness, there are valid historic reasons for some of the oppositions. Some mining companies, not all of course, have not always been good corporate citizen but it was mainly decade ago (Dr. Catherine Coumans, Case Study on Marcopper in the Philippines 2000). Status of Mining Industry Todays mining companies in the Philippines understand and practice all the elements of responsible mining (Simon Halley, Philippine Resources 2010). Despite huge socio economic potential for mineral investment, investor reluctance has left the countrys natural resources untapped and unexplored and can be traced back to considerable civic opposition led by the CATHOLIC CHURCH (Pete Troilo, BIPSA). Unmindful of the catholic opposition it was pushed by a sociopolitical developments, borne of such opposition, that would have big impact on the mining industry, the Writ of Kalikasan and Environmental Code of South Cotabato banning open pit mining. The ban on open pit mining in South Cotabato puts those working hard to attract investment in the country, especially in Mindanao, in a disconcerted and disadvantageous position (Pete Troilo, BIPSA). Main player in opposing mineral exploration around the world is the Roman Catholic Group. It began its campaign in the 1980s. It enabled to decline the number of mining companies since then. The Catholic Church in the Philippines is having significant success in its campaign against mining although the Church of England is seeking to profit from the companies who operate there. In fact Church of England has US$80 million investment in Xstrata and other company operating in the P h i l i p p i n e s ( ww w. e kk les ia . co .u k 2009). Bishop Bastes was following a tradition of Catholic clergy taking on mining, especially in Central America. Priest in Honduras for instance have protested open-pit mining techniques and mining-right laws which they say grant too many benefits to foreign miners (www.ekklesia.co.uk 2009). Bishop Bastes quoted (reported to the Wall Street Journal) the Bible particularly on the Book of Numbers Chapter 5, Verse 34, Its written in the Bible, Do not defile the land where you live and I dwell. Sometimes with the advocacy they entail to do we cannot get away to think that Catholic is akin to the red group that doesnt want other people to improve economically (Bobit S. Avila, Philippine Star 2010). A catholic devotee in St. Augustine, Parish denounced and abandoned a diocese because the priest blatantly blast mining operation which most of its tithes goes to the said church (National Catholic Reporter1998). Often the Catholic group says they are just advocating the plight of Indigenous Peoples in the mining area but the real intent is obscure. Not only in the mining industry they expressed their oppo-sition but to almost all programs of the govern-ment. In fact Subanon tribal folk in The Zam-boanga Peninsula have opposed the Bishops interference on the current operation of TVI Paficic Inc. (Darwin T. Wee-2006). Bishops keep on telling that Large Scale Mining is dangerous and unsafe. With the recent regulations on mining, responsible mining has been the key philosophy. Large Scale Mining is safe since they use cyanide which breaks down to natural elements when exposed to the sun. What is dangerous is illegal small scale mining since the miners use mercury in extracting the minerals from the ore. Mercury is very poisonous and stays in the environment for a long time. (Daryl Clark) In 1982, gold in Mt. Diwalwal in the Compostela Valley in Southern Mindanao was discovered by a Lumad named Datu Camilio Banad (www.wikipedia.com). From then on they began doing illegal small scale mining. Un-countable amount of blood have shed on the controversial mining area and never heard the Roman Catholic to interfere to condemn the illegal act. Since then, Diwalwal has become a Wild West of sorts, with hundreds of illegal small-scale mines competing for territory and gold and even engaging in shootouts with their rivals (Shiela Coronel-PCIJ 2005). In 2002, the Philippine government took over the mining site, in an attempt to rationalize mining operations and to give miners a larger share of the wealth generated in Diwalwal (Shiela CoronelPCIJ 2005). Catholic Group remained silent and never had they say we will help the government to stop the illegal small scale mining operation.

R EM AN
HOSPITAL M EDICAL and LABORATORYDEPOT

Vicky Lee Baltazar

1416-1418 Rizal Ave. Sta. Cruz, M anila Tel. # 711-7778* 359-2463 493-7039 Telefax # 749-0160