MEDIA RELEASE
NOVEMBER 27, 2008
BHP BILLITON SLAMMED BY PHILIPPINES' ENVIRONMENTALISTS
Rodne Galicha
Coordinator of Sibuyan Island Sentinels League for Environment (Philippines)
Member of the Philippines Alliance Against Mining, the Alyansa Tigil Mina
"No to BHP Billiton in Sibuyan Island!" shout the people of Sibuyan Island, Philippines on the event of the Annual General Meeting of BHP Billiton in Melbourne on November 27.
Rodne Galicha, coordinator of the Sibuyan Island Sentinels League for Environment and a member of the Philippines Alliance Against Mining, is attending the BHP Billiton AGM in Melbourne to voice concerns about a subsidiary of BHP Billiton, Queensland Nickel, which wants to establish a nickel mine on the island.
Galicha said: "To prove its adherence to highest corporate social responsibility standards and respect for human rights, we urge Queensland Nickel/BHP Billiton to pull out its investments from Sibuyan Island."
"We are concerned about biodiversity loss from BHP Billiton's proposed mining activities. Dubbed the 'Galapagos of Asia', Sibuyan Island hosts dense forests, the Philippines' cleanest inland body of water, and the majestic Mt. Guiting-guiting. BHP Billiton's proposal represents a serious and unacceptable risk to biodiversity and to threatened species. BHP Billiton is contradicting its own policy that it will not proceed with any development which would likely result in extinction of threatened species."
"We are also concerned about gross human rights abuses. BHP Billiton has an agreement for nickel supply from a mine operated by Sibuyan Nickel Properties Development Corporation (SNPDC). A security guard working for SNPDC killed Councillor Armin Rios-Marin at a peaceful anti-mining protest in October 2007. We therefore call on BHP Billiton to terminate this supply agreement with SNPDC."
"We are also concerned that SNPDC has initiated legal action against teachers involved in the peaceful anti-mining protests and has also attempted to bribe the family of the murdered Councillor in a failed attempt to get them to drop the murder charges."
Contact:
Rodne Galicha via Michaela Stubbs 0429 136935 or Jim Green 0417 318368.
Email:
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