DAVAO CITY – Farmers from the Compostela Farmer’s Association (CFA) put up a barricade at the entrance of Agusan Petroleum and Minerals Corporation’s (Agpet) operation site on Friday to demand the halt to its mining explorations in the area.
CFA chairman Bello Tindasan said that Agpet installed their equipment in the area early in the morning while the community was still asleep in order to avoid any resistance.
Farmers set up camp in front of Agpet’s operation site in protest against the large scale mining company’s operations in the area.
Farmers set up camp in front of Agpet’s operation site in protest against the large scale mining company’s operations in the area.
Tindasan expressed concerns about the effects of the entry of large scale miners such as Agpet in areas where small scale miners make their living and on the environment.
Baranggay officials act as mediators beween CFA and Agpet to try and come up with terms for negotiation.
“Our experience, and that of other communities where large scale miners have made their entry, is that small scale miners in the area become illegal. This is what we, farmers and small scale gold miners fear here. That’s why we are against it,” he said.
Children bide their time in the camp by playing games. The entry of large scale miners can pose adverse effects to the communities, particularly to the livelihood of small scale miners and to the environment due to open pit mining.
“We worry about our environment. When we were hit by Typhoon Pablo we were very hurt, how much more if we lose our mountains? This is not just about our own interests, but also that of Compostela as a whole. Landslides will definitely occur. What will happen to the people here when a second calamity occurs?” Tindasan said.
The farmers intently observe the operation site from the outside. They demand that operations be halted and all equipment be pulled out while negotiations are discussed.
