October 24, 2004
Tabayo, Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte, Mindanao, Philippines –
Yesterday Timuay (Chieftain) Jose “Boy” Anoy released an
appeal to the international community on behalf of the Subanen people.
As one of the leaders of the Subanens, Timuay Anoy urgently asks for
support to save Mt. Canatuan from destruction by TVI Resource Development
Philippines Inc., a Canadian Mining Company.
Mt. Canatuan is part of the ancestral domain of the Subanen people.
This peak has great spiritual and cultural significance for them as
they consider it their most holy place. However, Mt. Canatuan is also
of great interest to TVI because it has rich deposits of gold and other
metals. For the last 10 years TVI has been setting up its operations
in the area and reprocessing mine tailings that were obtained from small
scale miners. This year the company started to open cut mine the mountain.
If these operations continue it will only be one or two months until
the bulldozers reach Timuay Anoy’s doorstep and the community
will have no choice but to relocate.
However, the community is absolutely opposed to vacating their land.
For 15 years the Canatuan Subanen have been trying to protect their
claim to their ancestral land. In 2003, the group was finally successful
at being the second indigenous group in the Philippines to gain rights
to their land through the Indigenous People’s Rights Act. These
rights make it illegal for anyone to occupy their land without the approval
of the landholders. Thus, TVI is an illegal presence in the area since
they do not have the approval of the Canatuan Subanen. However the Government
has been slow to recognize the Canatuan Subanens rights in this area.
As Anoy states in the appeal:
We cannot understand why the Government has given the green light for
TVI to operate. The Government has stated that TVI’s operation
is one of answers to stave off the fiscal crisis, but the Mining Act
and Mineral Action Plan gives TVI a tax holiday and they can legally
repatriate 100% of their profits. Their operation is nothing but a bane
to the majority of the people.
TVI is quick to defend its actions by claiming that it has the approval
of the majority of the local people. The company declares that it secured
the support of the Subanens through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA)
signed on December 19, 2003 by the leader of the Subanen ‘Council
of Elders’. However, the Canatuan People believe that this agreement
is illegitimate because they do not recognize the Council as a legitimate
governing body. In response to this agreement, the Canatuan Subanen
revived the practice of the Gokum (a traditional court of the Subanen)
in February 2004. At this meeting the elders and leaders from the local
communities debated the legitimacy of TVI’s claims. The verdict
of the Gokum was that “many of those included in the so-called
Council of Elders are not of the clan and blood of our ancestor Manglang,
and not even originating from the Canatuan area. And therefore had no
claim to be representatives of the Canatuan people”.
TVI has continued its support and recognition of the “Council
of Elders” and the pro-company group within the community. This
group is made up largely TVI employees and others who come from outside
the area. TVI has enlisted the help of CIDA (Canadian International
Development Agency) in providing privileges and programs to those who
cooperate with them. TVI has gone so far as to recruit people in the
community to spy on their neighbours. All of these actions have sown
distrust and division within the community. By using the traditional
colonial strategy of ‘divide and conquer’, TVI has solidified
its power within the community.
The Canatuan Subanens remain opposed to the mining project because
they firmly believe that their land is their future. It is not only
vital to culture and their traditional way of life, but it is also their
key to community development and building sustainable livelihoods. Anoy
asserts that, “without our land, our people will suffer the same
fate of some of our indigenous brothers and sisters who have been driven
out of their land to satisfy the greed for the profit of big business.”
The group recognizes a temporary influx of money into their community
will in no way compensate them for what they will lose if their land
is destroyed.
The communities around and downstream of Canatuan also support the
Subanens stance. The mayor of Siocon – a downstream community
– has pointed out that “TVI claim of having overwhelming
support from Siocon, but that’s not true, because the Local Government
of Siocon had clearly stated its position against any form of environmental
destruction, including the operation of TVI, through a municipal council
resolution”.
Tensions have run high between the Subanens and TVI, especially since
TVI enlisted the help of a Special Civilian Armed Auxiliary (SCAA) to
protect the interests of the company. This paramilitary group has been
trying to quell local opposition through intimidation, the establishment
of blockades, and violence. In response to these actions, Anoy states
that ‘Even with TVI’s propensity for violence, we will not
waver in our struggle.” However, Anoy and his people believe that
they cannot do it alone. Thus, he appeals to all concerned organizations
and individuals to support their struggle. He asks the international
community to “Help us stop human rights abuses against our people.
Let us join together to stop the plunder of our national patrimony,
the destruction of our environment.”
-Written by Maryanne Mutch, DCMI
