Mining in Palawan has already ravaged forests, generated flooding and caused the siltation of rivers and farmland. It has also destroyed sacred sites.

The impact of nickel mining in the concession of Rio Tuba Nickel Mining Corporation (RTNMC). © Dario Novellino

Rolando Punoi, a Tagbanua from Sitio Lamane described the impact of mining on his land, ‘Now we see mining companies criss-crossing our forest, drilling the soil, stripping the trees away, destroying our watersheds, polluting our drinking water.’

The company MacroAsia, owned by billionaire Lucio Tan, plans to mine the ancestral land of the isolated Palawan living around Mt. Gantong and the Mantalingahan range.

These communities are particularly vulnerable and will not survive the loss of their land.

London-based Toledo Mining Corporation holds a significant stake in a Nickel Laterite operation which is also threatening the Palawan’s land.

Another company, the Rio Tuba Nickel Mining Corporation, is planning to mine in the Bulanjao Range at the southern tip of the island – an area of rich forest which provides vital water sources for both indigenous communities and migrants.

The company’s road is already causing serious environmental damage such as landslides, soil erosion and deforestation of the watersheds.

Under a provincial government initiative, many thousands of hectares of oil palm and other agro-fuels have been planted in Palawan.

This is having a devastating impact on the biodiversity of the region and is limiting people’s access to customary natural resources.

The Palawan have not been properly consulted about either the mining projects or the oil palm plantations.

The Philippine government is also delaying the implementation of the country’s Indigenous People’s Rights Act (IPRA), which provides for the identification, delineation and recognition of indigenous land. The mining projects on Palawan Island clearly violate this and other Philippine laws.