The curious case of irresponsible mining: examining the Philippine mining industry and the role played by Local Environmental Justice Movements (LEJMS) of Sta. Cruz, Zambales in addressing irresponsible mining as a contemporary struggle in the Philippines.

Abstract

The research study covers the state of the Philippine mining industry and how the Philippine Mining Act of 1995 serve as the principal law which provides the legal framework for the mining sector. As the domestic mining industry presently directs itself towards further liberalization, the study then explores the implications of the mining activity to the Philippine environment and to the Filipino populace. With the rise of the environmental and social phenomenon of “irresponsible mining,” the research discovered that local resistance was then made manifest through the formation of Local Environmental Justice Movements (LEJMs). By popularizing these modern-day social movements, greater citizen engagement in the aspect of public policy-making is then expected. In the research, a case study of the mining situation of Sta. Cruz, Zambales was given focus to examine how Sta. Cruz LEJMs had become the voice of the oppressed local mining community in the political arena. The mining saga of Sta. Cruz is an appeal to the public sector to assess the Philippine mining industry and its ramifications to the environment and the people at large. The call for an alternative mining framework that is committed to sustainable development and to the national interest is then upheld as this study’s paramount aim.