Bakal o Palay: The threats of mining and its relation to the struggles of the farmers in Sta. Cruz, Zambales.

Abstract

While internationally, mining plays a significant role in the economy of some nations, mining in the Philippines only contributed 0.6% in the country’s 2016 gross domestic product (GDP) and is also linked to various social and environmental issues. Only recently, in 2015, the municipality of Sta. Cruz in Zambales was struck by Typhoon Lando (Typhoon Koppu) and was devastated by the flash flood with nickel laterite from the mining sites that came with the typhoon. This catastrophic phenomenon caused soil contamination of nickel laterite to agricultural lands surrounding the mining operations. The aims of this research were to determine the impacts of the threats of mining to the agriculture in the area. In addition to this, the sufficiency of the government’s response on the mining issue was also evaluated. In this study, it was found out that mining aggravated the effects of Typhoon Lando, by causing environmental degradation which led to the flash flood and soil contamination. The soil contamination with nickel laterite had various negative impacts on agricultural productivity, including decrease and loss of soil fertility, quality of palay harvested, and agricultural yield. Experiencing all these burdens passed on to them by the mining companies, the locals demand the permanent closure of mining operations in their community, and call for proper compensation and rehabilitation of all affected persons and areas, respectively