The 1996 Marcopper mining disaster in Marinduque: Five decades of social injustice and neglect

Five decades have passed since the Marcopper Mining Corporation operated in Marinduque. Thirty years of large-scale mining and two decades of ignoring to own up to Marcopper’s “criminal negligence,” the Marinduque residents still suffer from its aftermath. From the previously pristine waters of Calancan to the mountainous headwater of Mogpog, down to the historic Boac river, Marcopper started a grave ecological concern that would haunt the local population to this day.

Anti-big-scale mining coalition seeks mining law repeal

Anti-big-scale mining group Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM) is urging the government to replace Republic Act 7942 or the Philippine Mining Act of 1995 with a law that is “pro-Filipino and pro-environment”. ATM claimed the present law has paved the way for plunder of the country’s mineral wealth, as well as mining-related environmental destruction. These are on top of adverse health impacts, displacement of people, and human rights abuses across the country, according to ATM national coordinator Jaybee Gerganera. “Our country didn’t benefit from RA 7942,” he said Monday (March 5)…