MARCOPPER MINING DISASTER

ELLIE FRANK D. INANTAY

BSED-SCIENCE 1

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

ENGR. ROMEO M. HILIS JR.

INSTRUCTOR
 INTRODUCTION

Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from

the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. These

deposits form a mineralized commodity that is of economic interest to the miner

(Hartman, Howard L. 1992). Mined material is needed to construct roads and hospitals,

to build automobiles and houses, to make computers and satellites, to generate

electricity, and provides the many other goods and services that consumers to enjoy.

Mining is economically important to producing regions and countries (Evolutionary and

Revolutionary Technologies for Mining, 2002).

One of the examples of mining is a copper mining or copper extraction. Copper

extraction is the method used to obtain copper from the ores. The conversion consists

of physical and electrochemical processes. Methods have evolved and vary with

country, depending on the ore source local, environmental regulations, and other

factors (Adalbert, Lossin 2005). Miners mined copper because it is extremely useful

industrial metal that is ductile, malleable, and excellent conductor of electricity. It is

uses for cable for power transmission, telecommunication cables, electronic circuitry,

conditioning tubing, and other construction applications.

However, the copper mining has a great impact to our environment. It can be

resulted into land degradation, increased deforestation, loosing of animal’s habitats,

ground pollution, surface water pollution, and acid mine drainage (GreenSpec, 2003).

Hence, copper mining put human health into danger and may be led into death.

Common ailments include respiratory illnesses such as asthma, and tuberculosis as a

result of inhalation of the silica dust particles resulting from the mining and processing

of copper. Miners in particular suffer from silicosis or pneumoconiosis (Patience, Sandy

2021).

This kind of mining was been happened on the island of Marinduque a province

of the Philippines in the Mimaropa region, this known as Marcopper Mining (de la Cruz,

Gwen 2017). Historically, Marcopper mining was a Canadian corporation that officially

started its copper mining operation in 1969 at the Mt. Tapian Ore Deposit on

Marinduque Island in the Philippines. When the Mt. Tapian reserve was depleted in

1990, Marcopper moved its operations to San Antonio copper mine (EJOLT, 2020).

Unfortunately, Marcopper Mining lead into a great disaster to the Philippines and

become a threat especially in the Province of Marinduque in the Mimaropa regions. It is

because a fracture in the drainage tunnel of a large pit containing leftover mine tailings

led to a discharge of toxic mine waste into Makulanit-Boac river systems and caused

flashfloods in areas along the river. One of the most affected village is Barangay

Hinapulan that was buried in six feet of muddy flood water, causing the 400 families

was being displaced and twenty other villages was also being evacuated (Dizon, Nikko

2019). Aside from that, waters are contaminated and kills fishes and freshwater shrimp,

inland animals such as cows, pigs and sheep were killed as well. The flood damaged the

irrigation channel and destruction of crops (dela Cruz, Gwen 2007).

Therefore, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as the

government agency implemented the Philippines Mining Act of 1995, which Governs the
Philippines mining industry. This law lays down the procedures and guidelines on how

minerals resources of the country can be exploited (Robles, Chan 2000).

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study tries to comprehend the disasters of the environment caused by

Marcopper Mining. This focuses on the island of Marinduque a Province of the

Philippines located in the Mimaropa region as the boundary of this study.

POSITIVE PRACTICES

a. At first of the operation of Marcopper industry, they were first considered the

environment especially the bodies of waters in particular of rivers. They didn’t litter any

garbage from the mining and have the appropriate disposing area. To human, it will

give them work some of the people in Marinduque though it was so risky.

NEGATIVE PRACTICES

b. The negatives impacts of Marcopper mining is that they allowed the fracture

drainage tunnel of large pit containing the leftover mine tailings and toxic mine waste

flowed into the Makulapnit-Boac river and caused the flashfloods in areas along the

river. In this reason, many of marine life was killed and the crops and irrigation

channels were being destroyed even the freshwaters was being contaminated caused

by the toxic mine waste.

POSSIBLE ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS VIOLATIONS

 a. The Marcopper Mining violated the environmental laws under Department of

Environmental and Natural Resources (DENR). The Marcopper Mining violates the

Philippines Mining Act of 1995, also known as the Republic Act No. 7942, is the

governing law that regulates mineral resources development in the country. One of the

primary objectives of this act is to revitalize the ailing Philippines mining industry by

providing fiscal reforms and incentives and maintaining the viable inventory of minerals

to sustain the industry.

Second violation of Marcopper Mining, is the Philippines Clean Water Act of 2004

known as Republic Act No. 9275. This law is the protection for clean water in any

bodies of water from pollution, land-based sources (industries and commercial

establishments, agriculture and community/household activities). The Marcopper Mining

violates this law because they allow the toxic mine waste flowed into rivers and caused

the water contamination where some of the marine life lives. They didn’t take care the

waste from the mining.

Third, is the Republic Act No. 8485 also known as the Act to Promote Animal

Welfare in the Philippines, otherwise known as “The Animal Welfare act of 1998”. They

violate this law because due to toxic mine waste flowed into the rivers and the animals

drink it from water and caused them died. Fourth, is the Republic Act No. 3931

commonly known as the Pollution Control. According to the Section 8, that no one will

dispose any organic or inorganic matter or any gaseous matter or liquid form to the

land resources, air, and water that cause pollution.

POSSIBLE ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGES

 a. The primary environmental affected caused by the Marcopper Mining is the

forest or what we called the deforestation. Before, operation of mining is that they must

need to cut trees and tear down weeds for they will never gives them risk and

convenience them to move especially huge mechanism and technological machines.

Second, are the land resources where the minerals are present and the mining must

need to dig big holes. Otherwise, they put toxic substance used for the operation to

easily find minerals.

Third, are the bodies of water especially rivers near beside the mining operation.

Toxic mine waste or substances flowed into the rivers causing the rivers being

contaminated.

SUMMARY

Environment plays an important role in our healthy living and necessary in

the existence of life. It is the home of all living organism or species and we are

all dependent to the environment such has water, land resources, and air.

Therefore, it is important for every individual to take care of it, save it and

protect it. Unfortunately, environment slowly damage because of some issues

made by humans.

In speaking of issues, mining is the major problem and has been

common issue made by human and very relevant all over the world. Mining

damage particular of land resources, bodies of water, and all living organism

near the mining. The Marcopper industry is the mining operation in the island of
Marinduque, in the Mimaropa region of the Philippines where it brings great

disasters and danger to the community of Marinduque. This operation was the

mining industry by the Canadian Corporation.

However, along the operation of Marcopper industry the environment was

slowly damage and brings danger to the health in the community of Marinduque.

They didn’t follow the right procedures of mining that was implemented by the

Department of Environmental and Natural Resources (DENR). Apart from this,

they disregard the crack in the drainage tunnel of a large hole containing mine

tailings and allow to flowed into the rivers and to all the villages as well. It

causes hundred of families was being evacuated and lost their livelihoods.

In addition, the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources

endeavor to stand and gives justice over the Marcopper Industry. The people in

an affected village raises their voice towards the government because they were

enduring scarcity due to this mining.

CONCLUSION

Therefore, the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources

(DENR) actively govern the mining industry while managing it. They make sure

that every operation should under the Department of Environmental and Natural

Resources (DENR) and followed the procedures given by the government. This is

to make sure that no living organism affected especially the environment.

 RECOMMENDATION

Therefore, I highly recommended that in order to preserve our

environment from mining, it should have to empower the Philippines Mining Act

so that this operation will follow the right procedures and no living organism

being died and our environment will never put into damage. Our primary concern

as the environmentalist and nature conscious, is that we want to maintain the

image of our nature. And most of all, it will never affect into human health such

as tuberculosis and skin irritation.

Furthermore, once a certain mining industry disobeyed and do wrongly,

they liable to the government and take responsibility to the affected community.

By this, it will minimize the issues of mining in all over the Philippines.