We applaud the Marinduque Regional Trial Court’s decision
ordering Marcopper Mining Corporation to pay damages to those affected when the
firm’s siltation dam burst in 1993, killing the Mogpog River and flooding
nearby communities with toxic residues of heavy metals and silt. Three years
later in 1996, a much worse disaster took place when a fracture in the drainage
tunnel of Marcopper’s Taipan pit spilled more than 1.6 million cubic meters of
toxic mine tailings, flooding villages and poisoning the Boac River.
This recent court ruling is very welcome and long overdue.
It is a major victory for the people of Marinduque against the company
responsible for one of the worst mining and environmental disasters in
Philippine history.
But the quest for justice for all victims is far from over.
In fact, in 2020, authorities discovered about 100 barrels containing what they
described as “toxic substances” in Marcopper’s old storage facility.
It is regrettable that even after more than two and a half
decades, we are still hounded by the Marcopper tragedy that caused the
biological death of Boac River, killing the livelihood of thousands of farmers,
fisherfolk and other residents of at least 20 villages who are dependent on the
river.
To this day, people in the area continue to suffer the
effects of the mining tragedy as evidenced by health problems, making it all
the more imperative to come up with stringent and long-term environmental
solutions.
We strongly believe that the government must continue to
exact accountability from Marcopper for the consequences of its irresponsible
mining practices that have caused irreparable damage to the environment and to
the people of Marinduque.
