Change is coming” is the slogan that propelled Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte to the presidency, and who would ever thought the change also involves the way mainstream media covers or, based on Digong’s “boycott in reverse” of giant TV networks and established newspapers based in the capital region, un-covers the 16th President of the Philippines?
It was presumptive Chief of Staff Christopher “Bong” Go who told Manila-based news reporters that if they will not boycott President-elect Duterte, he will be the one to boycott them. In other words, Digong is practically begging national media organizations to boycott him after a global media watchdog criticized the new President for commenting that corruption is behind the unsolved killings of journalists in the country.
I’m not sure where this is leading to, because those who have been observing Digong say that he can say one thing today and recant it tomorrow.
In the meantime, I don’t think it will serve the public good if mainstream media just dwell on Digong’s style. There are plenty of materials to mine with respect to the change that he intends to carry out once in office.
For example, it is important to interpret how a Digong presidency would impact on the country’s mining industry now that he is poised to handle the Environment and Natural Resources portfolio.
This is the change that anti-mining advocates are closely watching because as one anti-mining advocate pointed out, if the incoming President truly means reform, he needs only to sign a closure order directed against the erring mining companies. But this is easier said than done because the issues are complicated, according to Fr. Raymond Ambray, parish priest of Lingig, Surigal del Sur.
Digong himself said during his thanksgiving party last Saturday that the mining companies are destroying Mindanao. He was emphatic when he cited Surigao as one place where exploitative mining operations have to stop.
The country’s mining industry does not figure in the national debate except when it is facing protests from local government and people in the locality. Still, the conflict between the players in the sector on the one hand and the LGUs on the other does not get the kind of media attention that it deserves.
Such is the case of the San Roque Minerals, Inc. (SRMI) which is linked with then administration candidate for president Mar Roxas. Mar was accused of using SRMI airplanes for his campaign, an issue that Digong took to the campaign complete with flyers and photos.
SRMI started out as a small-scale mining operation in Tubay, Agusan del Norte in 2006 but managed to expand its status into commercial operations despite complaints from the municipal and provincial councils. Liberal Party stalwart, Caloocan City Rep. Edgar Erice, is said to connect SRMI to the powers that be.
Now that Digong has decided to handle the DENR portfolio, people are salivating to see what he intends to do. He will certainly have his hands full monitoring the Monitoring Production Sharing Agreements (MPSAs) issued to some 317 mining companies all over the country. Ninety-eight (98) are in Mindanao and 45 are in Surigao. No wonder, Digong described Surigao as punched with holes (daghang buslot).
Any well-thinking Filipino should be able to understand Digong’s anger and frustration over how Mindanao has been exploited by mining companies. This mega-buck business which has ravaged the countryside and brought extreme poverty and misery to many people has been under the stranglehold of the elite and the oligarchs of the country.
To give you an idea about the magnitude of this industry, may I share a clip of an article written by Ralph Jennings of Reuters and published in April 2015 by the online edition of Forbes.
“The Philippines holds the world’s second largest gold reserves, plus a list of other metals that basically just sit under the ground.”
The PH practically sits on a mind-boggling $1.4 trillion economic goldmine that could help sustain national economic growth, according Jennings.
I hope Digong makes good his promise to usher change in the mining sector starting in Mindanao because he knows the terrain very well. During his speech in Davao City’s Crocodile Park last Saturday, he declared that he will allow mining if done under a cooperative system. He stressed that mining should be in the hands of the people who do “kutkot,” or extract the minerals.
President Digong is no stranger to cooperatives because many successful co-ops abound in Mindanao. These self-help organizations fuel the so-called social economy. They’re not for profit but service. I hope our new President is keen on the cooperative model to do the job in the despoiled parts of Mindanao, because with co-ops, he can never go wrong.