December 20, 2004
Candiz, Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte - Aida Balaway suffered from a
mysterious skin disease for over a month without knowing the cause.
It was only when her husband and a friend also contracted the disease
that she became suspicious of the water from the local river.
On November 22, 2004, Aida went down to the Lituban River in Sitio
Cristal with her husband Gorgonio Balaway and a friend Ponciano Abacial.
Aida was going to wash clothes and bathe, and the men were planning
to fish.
For almost twenty years the farmers have fished, bathed and washed
clothes in this area with no ill effect. Recently, however, things have
been changing. The Libutan River is now just six kilometers from the
mining tailings dams of the mining company TVI Pacific Inc.
As the men were casting their nets into the water on the 22nd they
noticed that the clear water started turning a muddy brown color. Fearing
that a flood may be on the way, the group hurriedly crossed the river
to get home. As they were crossing the water they noticed that their
skin began to itch and sting.
That night they all had trouble sleeping as their skin became increasingly
inflamed and sore. In the following days the farmers tried some local
and herbal medicines in an attempt to relieve the irritation. When these
failed to help, the three went to the Sicon Health Center to be treated
by Dr. Vidal Micubo. Dr. Micubo examined them and diagnosed them with
a fungal infection resulting from chemical involvement.
On November 30th, Aida Balawag, Gorgonio Balawag, and Ponciano Abacial
signed affidavits attesting to the fact that it is no longer advisable
to catch fish, wash clothes, swim or bathe in the Lituban River. In
the affidavit the fishers also noted that many of the fish caught recently
in the river have had rotten skin and damaged flesh which smells bad.
TVI started open pit mining in the area in April 2004. The company
has repeatedly claimed that they are safely disposing of the toxic chemicals
that it uses for processing gold. However these recent reports seem
to contradict that claim.
- Written by Maryanne Mutch, DCMI
