Philippines and Mining

As students, we were taught in school that our country is rich in natural resources.  Likas na yaman as they call it in our native tongue.  Our mountains have gold, silver, coal, nickel just to name a few minerals.  Our seas have oil and natural gas.  Moreover, we have fertile soil for our farmers.  But why is it that Juan dela Cruz does not have life’s necessities?

Is it because we are not utilizing these resources, or we do not have the money and technology, or maybe because we have both but then we are forgetting the third part, which is to protect the nature. 

Personally, I see mining as an octane for our economy.  We should take advantage of our resources and benefit from it more than other people.  Today, we have the funds through the Mining Act, we have the technology to extract our minerals while making the least damage to our environment, and we have the manpower to operate it.  Let’s be true to ourselves, we cannot “extract” these resources and put it to good use without altering nature.  Just as getting oil in the middle of the sea without drilling and altering the balance of nature.  (more…)