Owners Turned Foreigners

Here's a feature story on the documentaries about the situation of people affected by the large-scale mining in Brgy. Didipio, Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya- adjudged as Champion in Feature Writing (English) Secondary Level  by Philippine Daily Inquirer correspondent Melvin Gascon during the Cagayan Valley Regional Schools Press Conference 2016.

“No trespassing. Maiparit ti sumrik.”

As residents of Barangay Didipio, the people have the rights to post the signboard which prohibits strangers to enter their land without permission.

Yet fate had them to be the ones facing the signage, banned to enter a large area of their home as Oceana Gold took over the rich land in Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya- far from the broken promises that the company would be their partner for livelihood.

It was not long when Eduardo, one of the Didipio citizens, found himself handcuffed with blood on his hands and feet. He was just on his way to his farm when authorities halted him and told him that he could not go forth. No matter how loud his cry was that he had no sin, he ended up kissing the soil where he and his family started their dreams which apparently never continued.

Decades back, then newbie Australia-New Zealand company negotiated with him to rent his family’s 8-hectare land for their mining operations. Knowing that Eduardo didn't have a copy of the agreement document, the institution seized the opportunity and had them forcedly evacuated from their 2-million peso worth land and gave them the additional payment for its whole purchase.

Voiceless,  Eduardo wasn't able to stop Oceana Gold to continue using their land for the mining operations until they started operating in areas beyond the mark. And again, just like Eduardo, his fellow residents were told to evaporate away from their own land.

To compensate the people, the company promised them that they would give them benefits in the future when in return, they would help in the mining tasks. Soon, the expected mutualism became parasitism as those who asked for their deserved increase in salary were fired and the benefits never arrived.

Houses demolished without court order and relocation, lands taken away from them, and loss of livelihood and jobs… the burdens of the Didipio people didn’t cease there.

Leonardo Berno, a resident, recalls the abundance of trees and crops all around which now turned into countless rocks and boulders. The waters are now all brown and dirty which they still often use, due to no choice, for daily activities like laundry. Additionally, landforms were altered as hills were transformed into plains.

(Photo from ejatlas.org)

Family ties and good relationships broken, on the other hand, is the cry of Akino Beduya, another citizen. The once harmony turned into family members fighting over their left properties. Furthermore, some of their relatives were sued with criminal cases by Oceana Gold which they strongly disclaim they did or got involved in.

Tired from all the sufferings brought by the large-scale mining in their place, the people of Didipio finally took stand and rallied in front of the company to voice out their disapproval and requests- disapproval on the mining operations and its adverse effects which they tagged as “Gold in your pockets means blood in our hands”; and requests to the government to pass the People’s Mining Bill and to ultimately stop Oceana Gold. Fortunately, Commission on Human Rights and Mines and Geosciences Bureau pat them on the back as they join them in their pleas to give back the land of Didipio to its rightful owners.

For more than just facing the “No Trespassing” signs, the people of Didipio have to fight for the issue on environmental impacts, the deprivation of their human rights and their loss of livelihood due to the powerful company’s operations, says Philippine Daily Inquirer correspondent Melvin Gascon.

The night has spread its blanket to the entire place once again yet many lights are still on and the machines continue functioning to add more to Oceana Gold’s beyond 20,000 ounces of gold and about 10,000 bronze mined up to the last three years. Meanwhile, the Didipio residents are on to another day of suffering and tears as they, the owners, turned out to be the foreigners to their own land.

Reports say that the company has plans to expand their mining operations in the barangay beside Didipio: Lower Alamit.

Would that mean another barangay of people stripped off their human rights and their homes?

Tet-Tet

And because of this winning piece, I'm on to my 3rd NSPC, this time in Pagadian, Zamboanga del Sur!

P.S. This is not the very exact feature story I submitted. I just recalled what I wrote when I got home.