William N. Holden

EXEMPLIFYING ACCUMULATION BY DISPOSSESSION: MINING AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES IN THE PHILIPPINES

Abstract. Using a case study from the Philippines, this article applies David Harveys theory of accumulation by dispossession to show how neoliberal policies enable mining corporations to locate, lay claim to, and develop mineral resources in formerly inaccessible areas, which for centuries have provided safe haven for indigenous peoples and their cultures. It explains why these factors are leading to an increase in armed conflict between military forces and guerrilla groups, which recruit their members from displaced indigenous people. The article concludes that the theory of accumulation by dispossession offers an appropriate analytical tool for understanding these processes.

Indigenous peoples and non-ferrous metals mining in the Philippines

Abstract The Philippines is a developing country well endowed with mineral resources. In recent years, the government has made substantial efforts to encourage the exploitation of these resources. This mining-based development paradigm has come into conflict with the indigenous peoples of this nation. This conflict has entailed disputes between the mining industry and indigenous peoples about the validity of the Philippines indigenous peoples rights legislation and alleged human rights abuses on the behalf of the mining industry. The Philippines strong civil society has assisted the indigenous peoples in regard to this conflict. Possible solutions to this conflict are examined.

Going through the motions: the environmental impact assessment of nonferrous metals mining projects in the Philippines

Abstract In recent years, the government of the Philippines has engaged in efforts to encourage nonferrous metals mining as a means of accelerating economic development. Mining is an activity with a substantial potential for environmental degradation. Mining projects in the Philippines are subjected to an environmental impact assessment process that is designed to operate in the minimum amount of time and with the minimum amount of inconvenience to the project proponent. This process does not properly consider biodiversity, ethnodiversity, alternatives to the project, and the cumulative effects of the project. This process also avails a minimal amount of opportunities for members of the public to participate. This environmental impact assessment process is a tokenism designed to make it appear that mining projects are being assessed for their environmental effects while they receive their inevitable predetermined approval.

Ecclesial Opposition to Nonferrous Metals Mining in the Philippines: Neoliberalism Encounters Liberation Theology

This paper discusses the opposition of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines to the efforts of that nation’s government to attract foreign investment by mining corporations into the Philippines. The paper follows previous investigations, such as those by Nadeau (2002), in examining the conflict between state-sponsored neoliberal economic policies and Christian liberation theology. Drawing on fieldwork interviews with members of the Church engaged in anti-mining advocacy, the paper employs a political ecology framework, as outlined by Bryant and Bailey (1997, p. 8), to argue for seeing environmental conflict in a developing country as predominantly livelihood based. The Republic of the Philippines, an archipelago of approximately 7,000 islands (see Figure 1), shares many characteristics with the former Spanish colonies of Latin America (Gaspar, 2004, p. 134). In both places Catholicism is preponderant. In the Philippines, approximately 80 per cent of the population is Roman Catholic (Linantud, 2005, p. 93). The Philippines, like many parts of Latin America, also belongs to the “developing world” (World Bank, 2005, p. 174) and families suffering from extreme poverty make up between 30 and 60 per cent of the population (Luna, 2001, p. 223). Asian Studies Review June 2007, Vol. 31, pp. 133–154

Disconnect between the Philippine Mining Investment Policy and Indigenous Peoples’ Rights

Throughout the world, conflict arising from mineral development in areas occupied by indigenous peoples is common. The Philippines is well endowed with mineral resources. The governments policy to encourage mineral development ignores the rights provided to indigenous peoples in the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA). This mining-based development paradigm has prompted opposition to mineral development from indigenous peoples. The conflict has entailed disputes involving the mining industry, government and indigenous peoples concerning environmental impacts, the validity of IPRA and alleged human rights abuses. Possible solutions to the conflict are examined.

Mine Operator Liability for the Spill of an Independent Contractor in Peru

In the mining and energy industries, toxic chemical spills have occurred while transporting hazardous chemicals such as cyanide and mercury to mines in several countries including Kyrgyzstan, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Australia, Taiwan and the United StatesJ Typically, a mine operator will retain an independent contractor to minimise the liability for chemical spills and to disassociate itself from controversial spills.2 This article analyses the administrative, criminal and civil liability of a gold mine operator in Peru, for the mercury spill of an independent trucking company, and provides some recommendations on how best to manage a difficult situation.

Post Modern Public Administration in the Land of Promise: The Basic Ecclesial Community Movement of Mindanao

Recent discussions of sustainable development have come to see the dominant neoliberal development paradigm receive criticism for creating environmental degradation coupled with increased inequality of wealth and power. In the developing world, sustainable development has increasingly come to be sought by postmodern public administration, which consists of efforts undertaken by the poor themselves to improve their conditions in life without changing power relations in society. This paper discuss the efforts undertaken by the Roman Catholic Churchs Basic Ecclesial Communities, on the island of Mindanao, in the Philippines, to improve the conditions of the poor without changing power relations in society. The paper discusses the emergence of the Basic Ecclesial Communities, the programs they provide for their members, the successes, and failures of these programs in providing participatory sustainable development, and the outlook for the future.

Ashes from the phoenix: state terrorism and the party-list groups in the Philippines

An ongoing theme in Filipino history has been the exclusion of the left from electoral politics. Something that may provide an aperture facilitating left-wing participation are the provisions of the 1987 Constitution providing for the election, based on proportional representation, of representatives from traditionally marginalized sectors of society. Since the implementation of these provisions, six party-list groups have become the visible face of the left in Philippine politics. However, since 2001, the Philippines have experienced a wave of assassinations targeting leftists. These killings, an emulation of the Phoenix Program implemented by the United States in Vietnam, are designed to destroy organizations used as ‘fronts’ by the Communist Party of the Philippines and the progressive party-list groups have been specifically targeted. These killings, and the fear they generate, are an example of state terrorism and, eventually, will prove themselves to be flawed counterinsurgency doctrine because, by precluding left-wing participation in electoral politics, they force the left into armed opposition.

Neoliberalism and state terrorism in the Philippines: the fingerprints of Phoenix

State terrorism is a form of terrorism which sometimes occurs when governments implement neoliberal policies lacking widespread support. From 2001 to 2010, the Philippines experienced a wave of assassinations implemented to destroy the infrastructure of the New Peoples Army, a Maoist group engaged in warfare against the state. These killings, reminiscent of the Phoenix Program in Vietnam, were initiated to eliminate the articulation of a counter-hegemonic project. In studying terrorism, it is essential to examine terrorism carried out by the states. Terrorism must not be confined to acts committed by non-state groups acting against the neoliberal order.

The Philippines: Understanding the Economic and Ecological Crisis

The Philippines experiences frequent earthquakes and typhoons, due to its location on the western rim of the Pacific Ring of Fire, a U-shaped series of more than 450 volcanoes in the Pacific Ocean that trace an arc along the coasts of South America, North America, Asia, and Australia. Just off the coast of Vietnam and China, south of Taiwan, and north of Borneo and Indonesia, in the South China Sea, it consists of, approximately, 7100 islands. The Philippines has a total landmass of 115,124 mile2, 298,170 km2, and current estimated population of 100,096,496 people (Worldometers 2015).