The
Mangyan, indigenous people of the Philippines, conducted a hunger
strike for more than two weeks calling on the government to cancel the
certificate issued to a Norwegian mining company. On 27 November 2009
the strike was called off, as the government revoked the certificate
temporarily. Below is the strikers' and its supporters' statement,
issued on 11 November.
The
Mangyan, indigenous people of the Philippines, conducted a hunger
strike for more than two weeks calling on the government to cancel the
certificate issued to a Norwegian mining company. On 27 November 2009
the strike was called off, as the government revoked the certificate
temporarily. Below is the strikers' and its supporters' statement,
issued on 11 November.

25 women and men, mostly Mangyan indigenous people, from Mindoro,
commenced an indefinite hunger strike in front the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Manila, Philippines on
Tuesday 17th of November. They are calling for the cancellation of the
Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) issued by the Secretary,
Lito Atienza, in October 2009 to the Norwegian mining company, Intex
Resource for its Mindoro Nickel Project. This large scale nickel mining
project is being imposed in the Ancestral Domain of the Mangyan people
against their will and long standing objections. It is located in a
watershed area that feeds 40,000 hectares of rich rice producing land.
It is also located in one of the few remaining forested areas of
Mindoro, an island which due to lack of forest cover and changing
weather conditions is experiencing severe flooding.

Independent experts have conducted fact finding missions and
concluded that this project would seriously damage food production,
human rights and the environment of Mindoro. The Norwegian ambassador
visited the area in 2007 and found that the majority of people of
Mindoro, and in particular the impacted indigenous Mangyan people, were
strongly opposed to the project.
The local and provincial governments are opposed to the project as
it undermines their long term sustainable development plans and
policies. A 25-year moratorium on mining was passed in 2002 in Oriental
Mindoro. Similar ordinances were passed by different municipal
governments of Occidental Mindoro, with 8 out of 11 municipalities
passing a resolution against mining. Governors, vice-governors, mayors
and congressmen repeatedly publically stated in strong terms, and
strong voices, that they do not want mining in their provinces. They
repeated this to the DENR on Monday 16th November 2009 as the hunger
strike began.

Civil society and the Church Bishops have called for the respect of
the peoples' strong position against mining, and priests are joining
with the indigenous peoples and others in the hunger strike.

However, the Secretary of the DENR has chosen to ignore these
warnings, complaints and wishes of the people. Instead of listening to
the wishes of people he has issued an Environmental Clearance
Certificate (ECC) allowing Intex's project to proceed. This was done in
the absence of required public consultation, the lack documentation
showing that they are not within the watershed area and despite the
fact that the DENR's own EIA Review Committee had recommended that the
ECC be denied.

The mining project is still the subject of an on-going complaint to
the Norwegian National Contact Point (NCP), under the Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Guidelines for
Multinational Enterprises. The ECC has been issued before the Norwegian
Ambassador has had a chance to engage in a fact-finding engagement as
requested by the Norwegian NCP. The issuance of the ECC therefore
deliberately obstructed the people of Mindoro's access to remedies
under international processes.

Thus, the Mangyan and the people of Mindoro have been left with no
other recourse than to go on an indefinite hunger strike. They have
brought their position to the DENR's doorstep in Manila – they don't
want INTEX, they don't want mining in the Alangan Mangyan's ancestral
domain, not in their watershed and anywhere in Mindoro.

In response the Secretary of the DENR has suspended the ECC for 90
days. The people of Mindoro see this as an attempt to provide INTEX and
the DENR secretary an opportunity to cover up the inherent defects of
the ECC. The provincial government's 25 year mining moratorium was not
recognized in the suspension order, nor was the legally recognized
right under Philippine law of the Mangyan ancestral domain owners to
withhold their free prior informed consent to mining projects in their
lands.

The message of the Mindoro people and the Mangyan Indigenous Peoples
to the DENR Secretary is loud and clear – NO to INTEX. NO to mining in
their ancestral lands and provinces. The final recommendation of the
EIA Review Committee must be upheld – NO ECC for INTEX.
Please sign this petition to express your urgently needed solidarity
with the hunger strikers in their protest against the issuance to the
Norwegian Company, Intex Resources, of an Environmental Clearance
Certificate (ECC) and to demand its immediate cancellation by the DENR
Secretary.