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Source:http://www.panoramio.com/photo/83354008
Tinigban Beach in Aroroy
Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pio_V._Corpuz,_Masbate
Balangingi Island Beach, Pio V. Corpus
Source:http://lapaybantigue.wordpress.com/contingentprofiles/
Lapay Bantigue Festival
Source:http://byaheroph.blogspot.com/2014/04/rodeo-masbateno-festival-2014-rodeo.html#.VJOzl8LYHc
Rodeo Festival
There's a paradise in the Philippines which is not yet
sincerely explored. This is a place whose beauty is concealed for centuries and
a place where paradise like sceneries abode. Masbate being an island at the
center of Philippine archipelago is blessed with coastal lines covered with
white sand. The sand in this place shines every summer and its blue and green seawater
sparkles as well. Masbate has many beaches ideal for a resort establishment,
but up to this time many of the beaches in this place are left untouched by
investors. Not just that Masbateños( people in Masbate) have their own
dance culture - Lapay Bantigue. Lapay Bantigue is an original ritual dance
of Masbateños and this is danced gracefully by Lapay performers with
matching colorful costumes every Lapay Bantigue festival. Masbate is also “Cattle Country of the Philippines” because of
the wide and vast ranches in the provinces and every year Rodeo festival is
celebrated in this land. The most precious treasure of Masbate is the land
itself. A nature lover will get stunned with the rolling green mountains and
hills in this place but for sure his eyes will dilate if he discovered that the
green view he’s beholding holds gold more than enough to sustain the needs of
all his future families generation. Masbate is the place full of treasures yet
the people here are among the poorest around the Philippines. Worse these
treasures are slowly diminishing.
Source:http://www.akrosdayunibers.com/philippines/category/masbate
Natural and untouched beauty of mountains
Source:https://www.flickr.com/photos/50718793@N02/sets/72157624178002830/
Open-pit mining in Brgy. Syndicate, Aroroy, Masbate
Most
people in this place live through farming, fishing and mining. In one
municipality of Masbate called Aroroy, mining is the most ideal work to get
into, both for the rich and for the poor. The rich has enough capital means to
buy the equipment and utilities needed to start a mining business. Mining
business is very feasible in Aroroy because almost every meter of land that you
step onto has underlying nuggets of gold. Because of Aroroy’s much
gold, it is regarded as the "Golden Town."A gram of gold is worth more than a thousand. How
light is one gram? Lighter than the bullet of a toy gun, but that single gram
is worth more than a thousand! No wonder why in almost every barangay you will
be able to find a mining operation operated by people from upper class and also
from poor class who hope for even a single gram from their small scale mining.
Small scale mining does not need much equipment to extract gold all it needs
are miners who are willing enough to stretch their muscles and bones in the
manual mining process. More and more people are attracted into mining because
there are people who started from rags but after mining nuggets of gold turned
into somebody with a full pocket.
Source:larrycprice.photoshelter.com/image/I00005g7NiyGd5tE
Small scale mining in Brgy. Panique, Aroroy, Masbate involves child labor
However the
profit gained by small scale miners is nothing compared to the profit of big
mining industries owned by foreigners. What Filipinos specifically Masbateños earned from their land are just centavos
compared to the thousands gained by foreign investors. The major corporation
responsible for the biggest mining operation in Masbate, specifically in the
municipality of Aroroy is the Filminera Resources Corporation in partnership
with Masbate Gold Project. There still many corporations behind the ever
spreading mining operation in Aroroy. The corporations provide the needed
equipment in mining and these include Galeo Equipment and Mining Company Inc,
Phil. Gold Processing & Refining Corp, and Orica Mining Services. With the
help of many companies tons of gold are successfully extracted. More gold is
equivalent to much money and much money equates to wealth.
Source:http://www.bicolstandard.com/2014/03/aroroy-masbate-gold-12-trillion-pesos-b2gold.html
A gold nugget
Source:https://www.mico.com/markets/mining-equipment
A mining equipment
Mining is not composed of one or two simple processes.
Before a company can reap not just gold but tones of gold it has to plan and
execute a very smart strategy to gain much from their mining operation. First
of all the company must find a spot, usually mountains and hills, where they
can get some rock sample, to test if the rocks in that spot has a high grade
potential. High grade rocks can be found in lander with high mineral content.
When they already verified that that spot has a high grade they will negotiate
with the local officials( if the land is government owned), talk with private
people and necessarily talk with national government for the President's
approval for their big mining operation just like what Filminera corporation
did. Huge mining activity,specifically open-pit mining (mining style of
Filminera), requires cutting down trees and observing environmental standards
is a must, that's why a company who wants to reap gold in a large hectare of
land must and always secure an environmental certificate , "...a form
of environmental regulation and development where a company can voluntarily
choose to comply with predefined processes or objectives set forth by the
certification service...."(Nebel, Quevedo, Jacobsen and Helles, 2005). After securing an environmental certificate and
after employing local people as their workforces the mining operation will be
pushed, they will be set to work with one goal -to extract gold.
There's nothing wrong
with their open-pit mining at our first glance because the mining corporation
had secured environmental protection certificate and environmental
rehabilitation are guaranteed so, it sounds like Aroronians or let's just say Masbateños
have nothing to worry. Besides the common people are benefited ever since the
Filminera operated in Masbate, particularly in Aroroy. Filminera's mining
operation in Aroroy made Masbate grab the record of being the largest mining operation
in the whole Philippines, as what Masbate Gold Project Calendar reported (2014).
This mining operation also employed over 1800 locals. Usually the local people
work as their security guards, toll gate watcher, traffic enforcers and
drivers. Lots of people are able to work and able to feed their family because
of the job opportunities that Filminera Corporation have been showering over
the locals.
Source:http://www.unitedworld-usa.com/usatoday/philippines/21mining.htm
The Philippine economy
really benefits from the mining operations around the country especially from
the provinces of Masbate. Undeniably the foreign investors or probably, foreign
government benefits the most from it. Gold are harvested here in the
Philippines and then delivered to the other country for conversion into
jewelries or simply gold deposit. The foreign elites gain the most from the
mining operation here in the Philippines. Just imagine the ratio of money that
they get from mining operation, ours is just a cute bite (tax), theirs is the
rest of the one big whole. We are given centavos they have the thousand
bills...This is a harsh reality that is concealed. The gains that must have
been gained by our country for the welfare of Filipinos are legally withdrawn
by aliens.
As foreign investors'
bellies get bloated and as the gold banks are being filled with gold bars the
land of gold gets lighter due to massive gold extracted and exported. After the
mining operation of Filminera they will leave the land but they have so-called
rehabilitating strategies. After the mining operation many people are left
without jobs. Some will luckily find a new job such as small scale mining, farming,
driving motorcycle or go fishing that's enough to feed the hungry family. Life
is simple and hard in Aroroy. This is an ironic fact, Aroronians live in a
place rich in gold but poverty is widespread.
How's the environment
after mining operation? The green landscape turned into gray or brown view. The
mountains and hills those are full of trees before, but currently look like a
bald Banaue terraces now. The fertile soil is scraped by the heavy equipments
during mining operations. The fresh air that you can breathe before shifted
into a rusty smell no more overwhelming refreshing air. If you are a nature
lover the mine site is literally breathtaking, due to disgust. The
environmental landscape totally changed. Like a cancer patient the head is
shaved. As a bald mountain or hill we can compare a certain mountain or hill
landscape to a severely ill person. The disease of bald mountains and hills is
also cancer.
The mountains and hills in Masbate suffer cancer because the cancerous cell (mining operation) spreads from one part to another. Every time that Filminera corporation find a spot with a good sample of land or it found a spot with a high grade potential it won’t stop negotiating (or maybe forcing) any person until they get what they desire –high grade land. As long as there are mountains and hills that are prolific they won't stop unless those golden bodies of lander are unshaved and the gold harvested completely. The gold that are supposed to be harvested or more favorably preserved have been harvested by foreigners.
When one aspires for gold
uprooting trees is necessary and transferring, if not throwing away, the
fertile top soil is needed. The green view of mountains and hills is lost. But
which is more beautiful? The green landscape in the morning and dark view at
night or the grayish blue or brown landscape in the morning and a city like
mountain (due to lights put up by mining company for their night mining
operation)?
Most of the mountains and
hills of the golden town will sooner or later look very different. If the
officials and landowners in this place are worldly enough they will be willing
to sell every piece of elevated land. These elevated lands are sculptured by
huge and heavy equipment so that gold will be withdrawn and at the end they
will look like a staircase to heaven, but this type of staircase will never
ever reach the door of heaven for the humans who are supposed to take good care
of the natural environment just exploited it for the good of the few.
Foreigners get merry for the every gold that they extract from the land of
Aroroy, more gold is always equivalent to much money and much money is equal to
wealth and when you have wealth you have power. Foreign companies are lucky
enough to find a country as poor as Philippines who doesn't really care if it's
natural environment is depleted as long as the government in this country
receives a centavo for every thousand that foreign companies earn. What can we
do? They have the capital to put up their big mining business; we only have the
work force.
When the muscles and bones
of Filipinos who work for the foreign mining company are exhausted and when the
foreign corporations have successfully shaved the mountains and hills and of
course when their countries have the most gold deposit they will leave our
country. When mining operation stops a lot of people will have no work if they
are not determined enough to find new one or the government is blind enough
that its people need job. The first class municipality of Aroroy which is
dependent to the tax of Filminera will have its annual income decline (if the
future leader of this municipality will not do any move to maintain its high
status, but hopefully he will). Gold is non renewable so when it’s lost the golden
town will be "The Shaved Town." Gold is its glory, so if there's no more
gold the foreign will just leave but make sure that they had spitted on the
land of Aroroy and say "Damn the people in Aroroy are idiots they just sat
on their land of golds and waited for aliens to get 'em!" They got richer
and we are left grabbed of our taken for granted riches. (If you want to deeply understand why is the open pit mining operation in Masbate unstoppable kindly visit http://www.bicolstandard.com/2014/03/aroroy-masbate-gold-12-trillion-pesos-b2gold.html)
Again, going back to
Filminera Corporation they said that they have environmental certificate. Good
thing right? So what did they do to the mountains of hills where their
operation had stopped?
"Ga dumping ina sinda san duta na maayo tanuman kag an mga
pinisi san mga tawo sa kada barangay gina butang didto sa mga bukid na wara na
ginaminahan. Tapos gatanum san panibag-o kaya an mga kalbo na bukid may tapal
na na bag-o na tanum." (They dump soil which is good for planting and the made
ropes (made of the husk of coconut) of the people in every barangay are brought
to the mined site. Then they will plant new trees and these will later cover
the bald mountains -an interviewee.)
It is good to hear that
Filminera Corporation do something in order to redress the mountain that they
degraded unlike in the other country or maybe places here in the Philippines
that are just abandoned by the mining companies after they had harvested what
they can harvest. Actually, Filminera do many good things to the people in this
country. For example, their people visit barangays and release new bags,
notebooks and other schools supplies to inspire school children. It is a fact
that Aroroy is a first class municipality but its magnificence is only evident
in the proper town but when you around in different barangays poverty is manifested
by the people’s lives and such sight will melt your heart. According to the
Masbate Gold Project calendar of 2014, Filminera also donates money
"...over P100 million in the development programs within the host
communities through Social Development and Management Program (SDMP), and has
spent in excess of P50 million in Corporate Social Responsibility projects for
host stakeholders beyond the host barangays...."
In every barangay in
Aroroy you will be able to find spinning wheels manipulated by the locals.
These people make ropes out of coconut husks because these are used in the
rehabilitation of bald mountains (maybe as fertilizers) and the people are paid
P2 for every meter of rope that they had created. In fairness this is a good
thing, at least this high earning corporation help the locals earn some coins.
Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coir
Making rope out of coconut husks
The coins that the people
earn from making ropes is a big help in the process of the so-called
"rehabilitation of degrade golden lander." But is rehabilitating a
fecund mountain easy? Certainly it isn’t. No technology was ever invented to
rebuild a forest. Rebuilding a forest will take at least a century. Our eyes
already lost its vision and our breaths are already taken by our Creator before
a forest can be totally brought back to its original grace .The rehabilitation
plan of Filminera Resources Corporation is just like a wig (but at least shows
an effort). They covered the bald mountains and hills with dumps and planted
some seedlings and all sorts of plants that they think can conceal the
cancerous look of the mountains and hills. The fact that they had degraded the
lands of Aroroy is fact and that's irreversible.
Source:http://larrycprice.photoshelter.com/image/I0000.xcCRNhjres
Site watchers
The town proper of Aroroy is a first class municipality but it
just stops there, majority of its barangay are still waiting to be lifted from
rags to the rich status and aura of the proper. When Filminera’s business is over
in Aroroy or any part of Masbate, the town of Aroroy might not be as good
smelling as before. Without the presence of the big mining corporation this
town will find it hard to maintain its first class status. But who knows that
maybe this proposition is false. Who knows that this town will be able to
maintain its prosperous state? Who knows... Maybe a leader will be born and he
will be able manage the whole town in the very best way that this town had
never ever experienced.
Source:http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/HmdFMXTEwee/March+Against+Mining+Protest
Source:https://gregornot.wordpress.com/2009/03/25/philippines-thousands-protesting-open-pit-gold-mine/
In the end there are only
three things that the people of Aroroy might realize. First the green and
natural view of fecund mountains and hills is the most satiating treasure of
the place. The natural grace of mountain not just provided a beautiful
landscape to behold, but it also provided the people with fresh air that allow
them to live every moment of their lives in the golden town. The second
realization will hopefully be the clear vision of the ironic life in the
province of Masbate. Masbate provinces have rich lander and everything (Masbate is
actually the country's marine sanctuary), yet majority of the people are living
in poverty. Where have the treasures endowed by God gone? Third the people will
also realize that it's impractical and idealistic to say that the gold must
have been left buried and untouched. Money is needed in order to survive in
this world full of price tags. It's true that it is impractical and idealistic
to leave the gold untouched the mountains green and full, but it is more
desirable and necessary. These three future realizations will only occur if the
people in Aroroy know how to appreciate the natural and rich environment given
by God, but as of now most of them are blind and numb...
Works cited:
Nebel. G, Quevedo. L, Jacobsen. J, Helles. F (2005) Development and economic significance of forest certification: the case of FSC in Bolivia, Forest Policy and Economics, 7, 175– 186
Nebel. G, Quevedo. L, Jacobsen. J, Helles. F (2005) Development and economic significance of forest certification: the case of FSC in Bolivia, Forest Policy and Economics, 7, 175– 186
