Mining is dirty, literally and figuratively. Why is it so? Because in mining one has to actually dirty his hands to dig deep into the bowels of the earth to get the minerals in it. Aside from the precious minerals like diamond, gold, copper, palladium, and silver, to name a few, there are mineral materials that are most basic natural resources, like sand, gravel, dirt, and rock, used in every day building activity, and other construction uses, from an erection of a simple house to a condominium and to skyscrapers. Adequate supplies of these basic resources are vital to economic life of any community.
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Digressing a little and back to a not so distant past. My idol Tatang Sabas (may his soul continue to rest in the bosom of the Almighty) being a “jack of all trades” (from a farmer, carpenter, plumber, volleyball player – either one on one or two on two, and cook for big events, to name a few) was set to do a little renovation of our two-storey house made of bamboo all throughout. Because of our big number as a family (remember that I was the youngest of ten siblings), my Tatang Sabas decided to expand the lower portion of our house using hollow blocks. Thus we need cement, corrugated steel bar, sand, and gravel.
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Well, cement has to be bought from the construction supply. But for the steel bar, sand, and gravel, we sourced it somewhere. My Tatang Sabas carefully selected and used a sturdy part of a seasoned bamboo in lieu of a steel bar. And then he brought me to the banks of a small creek near our house and we got gravel and sand. Everybody in our community does get gravel and sand by the river to construct their houses too. This means we only spent for the cement.
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I can say then, that back into my early years of my life, and so with all others before me, and back into the days of our ancestors, mining is already part of their life. And mining is life. If you are pro-life, you should be pro-mining. And if you are pro-mining then you are pro-life. But the literal meaning of mining as a dirty business is now making life miserable to many people that depended on mining all their lives. Looking only around us here in Benguet and Baguio, how many years is Benguet Corporation, more than a hundred years; while Lepanto Mining is already eighty years. And not so distant is Philex Mining at a little over sixty years.
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The combined number of people, families, students, teachers, community, downstream business, itinerant suppliers, contractors, local government units, and others that depend on the continuous operations of these three mining companies alone is unthinkable to be stopped by the simple stroke of a pen foisted by the perceived crooked advocacy of not allowing the people to suffer more and not destroying the environment. Hello?!?!
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And so, while mining is a dirty business, it really is a way of life, gives life, gives hope, improves the lives of many, spurs development and progress, brings happiness, cares for the environment, co-exist with any and all business. But messing up with current state of things of mining in our country should not be allowed. Instead, let it flourish, enhanced and developed so that many if not all people will benefit from it.
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By the first day of March of the current year, we will see whether the person that is causing so much anxiety, sleepless nights, wounded feelings, and besmirched reputation, to many people will see her last day in office.
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With close to thirty groups of oppositors to her confirmation, PRRD came to admit later that the lady “messed up” on her decisions. In fact, she dirtied her hands when she order to close or suspend operating mines and cancel 75 mining contracts. The impact of her decision is catastrophic (her decision condemns to hunger and poverty 1.2 million people spread in various parts of the country) when the potential economic effect of closing and suspending down large-scale operating mines. Fighting for its life and mining’s constituents, mining industry’s big players vowed to fight the pretending lady. Let us see.