 |
| Photo by Balatik. |
NEWS RELEASE
August 22,
2012
Empty rhetoric, blatant lies, indigenous peoples
in Southern Tagalog say on Aquino IP policies
Aquino brags of respect for IP rights while
enacting anti-IP orders
THE militant
indigenous peoples group in Southern
Tagalog Bigkis at Lakas ng mga Katutubo sa Timog Katagalugan (BALATIK)
today assailed as “empty rhetoric and blatant lie” President Aquino’s policies
for indigenous people.
BALATIK
Secretary General Arnel delos Santos, a Dumagat leader from Rizal said “Aquino
can’t even stop the operation of big mining companies and dams in our ancestral
domains, and, in fact, approves the continuing plunder of our environment
through his Mining EO 79.
“Aquino
brags of respect of IP rights while he is actually enacting anti-IP policies,”
Delos Santos, who is also son of slain Dumagat leader Nicanor Delos Santos,
said.
He said
that“the only people happy with Aquino’s empty rhetoric to have a pro-people
mining policy are big mining companies.”
 |
| Photo by Balatik. |
“This means
that these companies can continue to extract all our minerals and get tax
holidays from the government while maintaining control over vast lands that are
actually part of our ancestral domain,” says Delos Santos.
The BALATIK
also said that “obviously, the sham Mining EO 79 will only strengthen the grip
of these big mining companies on our lands.”
“Even the
so-called moratorium on mining is aimed to deceive indigenous people. As soon
as new legislation regarding mining revenue is finalized, the approval of new
mining applications will continue. However, it will not affect the thousands of
mining applications already filed before the enactment of the Mining EO,” Delos
Santos said.
Aside from
this, Delos Santos said he is “warning Aquino about his plans to push for the
construction of Laiban Dam in Rizal as part of his Public-Private Partnership
Program.”
 |
| Photo by Balatik. |
“Laiban Dam
will clearly displace us from ancestral domain. It will put seven barangays in
Rizal and Quezon, which are all communities of Dumagat people, under water. If
this destructive dam pushes through, we will declare a war against Aquino,”
ends Delos Santos.
###
Resource
Person: Arnel Delos Santos, Secretary General
Bigkis at Lakas ng mga Katutubo sa Timog
Katagalugan
Federation
of Southern Tagalog Indigenous People
Blk. 3 Lot
20 Camella Fairfields, Mambog I, Bacoor City, Cavite