I apologize for the title of this week’s column. Why? Because I will be dealing with almost the same dreaded topic last week – the death of the Philippine miners – made more bizarre by the timing of the release by the source of all these mess. And what is the problem on the timing?
*** ***
It is like this. What did we just celebrate last week? Come on, it was love week. The magic of love! Everybody was expected to be happy through any means they can think of in celebrating the yearly phenomenon to just be happy despite the inherent lows, concerns, and problems life is to offer. In Pilipino language – “may pinagdadaanan.” To experience being lost in the name of love even for just a day over 364 years is like eternity. Enough to give you energy to battle it out again. It was like when you are so sleepy and you decided to take a nap for just few minutes and you wake up fully energized.
*** ***
But sorry folks, sorry fellow miners – rank and file, supervisors, managers, corporate officers, parents, teachers, pupils, students, community residents, LGU officials, vendors, PUJ drivers, suppliers, contractors, sari–sari store owners, kasambahay workers, workers of contractors, security guards, and sorry to all drivers of development. We just experienced a severe blow to our present life, to our family future and to the future of this country. We were killed once when, prior to last week, the feisty but out of bounds manay Gina Lopez tightened the rope on the Philippine mining industry by calling a press conference and announced the closure of 23 mining operations. Not content, she even announced the continuing suspension of another 5 mining operations. That was the first death!
*** ***
A banner story by the undisputed No. 1 national paper in country says it all: “Mine closure leads to job losses, suicide.” The story went to narrate on front page – “A worker hanged himself after the nickel mine where he worked was ordered shut. Thousands of jobs are expected to disappear with 28 other mines facing closure or suspension.” This is the gloomiest love week I experienced, save for the fleeting moment when my dear lovely wife and I celebrated a group valentine’s day in our company provided love nest with our friends and fellow managers and their loving partners tagged along, a night of eating, wine and liquor sipping. That was fun and memorable. But on the flip side of our celebration are warm bodies and souls from other mining companies mourning for their eventual demise if the single woman army is not stopped on her reckless driving in her self-imposed personal vendetta to wipe out the entire mining industry in this country. Even the sudden and steep drop in the mercury reading seem to commiserate with the miners. Malamig na pagpupuso ni manay Gina L!
*** ***
And now, what is the second death? This is the announcement by the DENR chief manay Gina Lopez when she cancelled 75 live mining contracts (mineral production sharing agreements – MPSA’s) allegedly because these are inside the watershed. A death blow even before we can mourn for the first one –– double–dead.
*** ***
The “poster boy” of Philippine mining (manay Gina L’s own reference) was not spared. Philex Mining received a combination of right and left straits including an upper cut, a heavy body blow, and a rear-naked choke on top of a flurry of jabs when its 5 MPSA’s were also cancelled along with other 70 agreements. This is akin to a holocaust of Hitler. This time, Philex has to protest. It insists (being the parent company of Silangan Mining) its $2 billion Silangan mining prospect is not located inside a watershed contrary to the environment agency’s reason in cancelling the same. Let us see what happen to this later.
*** ***
See the irresponsible pronouncement of manay Gina Lopez? She really wanted to bury six feet below the ground all mining operations, even those still not yet operating, even those practicing responsible mining!
*** ***
And again, I tell you, to whom is easier to deal with, a terrorist or manay Gina Lopez? Your guess is as good as mine.
