Alyansa Tigil Mina gladly welcomes the landmark decision of
a local court in Marinduque in favor of 30 plaintiffs against the Marcopper
Mining Corporation for a mine spill that devastated the community in 1993.
It may have taken decades for the court to make a ruling,
but we are nevertheless hopeful considering that justice is finally served to
the victims of one of the worst mining disasters in the country. The decision
sends an encouraging signal to communities gravely affected by mining.
We congratulate the Marinduquenos and their commitment to
seek justice. Congratulations are also
in order to the lawyers and organizations who never wavered in the pursuit of
justice, especially to Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center (LRC). They have guided and stood by all the
plaintiffs no matter what challenge faced.
The ruling also underscores the importance of a new mining
law that would put the environment and mining-affected communities above the
interests of the mining industry. At present, the mining laws in the country
fall short in preventing destructive
mining. A new law must be put in place to ensure mining disasters won't happen
again. - Alyansa Tigil Mina
