The Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center- Kasama sa Kailakasan
(LRC-KsK) Friends of the Earth Philippines Davao Office has launched
two websites to elevate into the cyberspace their
campaign against development aggression and to uphold the rights of the
indigenous peoples and the voiceless sector in the society.
One of the websites, www.macambol.org, focuses on Macambol community in Mati, Davao Oriental. Macambol is one
of the LRC-KsKs serviced communities.
The website was developed to expose and oppose the entry of the
large-scale mining companies in the area. The mining activity covers the
villages at the vicinity of Mt. Hamiguitan Range, which sprawls in towns
of Mati, San Isidro and Gov. Genoroso all in Davao Oriental.
It is also aimed at gaining campaign support not just from the local
scene but as well as from the international community. The site contains
several information on Mt. Hamiguitan and Pujada Bay. Both are declared
protected areas.
In July 2004, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed Republicg Act
9303 declaring Mt. Hamiguitan Range and its vicinities as protected area
under the category of wildlife sanctuary. While Pujada Bay, the major
drainage of the major streams from Mt. Hamiguitan Range, was declared a
protected seascape and landscape under Presidential Proclamation 431 in
July 1994 and it covers at least 21, 000 hectares.
The other website is KontraDevAgg.com, which means against development
aggression. The site was put up to expose and oppose all forms of
development aggression.
The site contains information about development aggression issues,
references and other useful materials. It also features a map that
contains initial mapping of mining hotspots in Mindanao.
*So why go online?
*The world wide web is now one of the most effective tools in
communication and information dissemination. Most of the information we
need these days is just a click away. Having an online presence enables
the organization to vie on the issues on a broader arena.
The audience can access the information they need 24 hours a day, seven
times a week and 365 days a year. The sites can be accessed anywhere and
anytime.
Both sites have blog pages, which features latest related news and first
hand notes from the field. Some articles are personal observations or
opinions of the authors.
LRC-KsK FOE Phils Davao Office
479-A Gen. Luna St., Davao City 8000
