Over a thousand fisherfolk and local people troop to Rapu-rapu Municipal Hall, demand immediate economic relief, compensation and closure of Lafayette

With no livelihood and food to eat, around one thousand three hundred residents of Rapu-rapu island are holding a protest action in front of the Municipal Hall three days after the fish kill incident in the area.

“The Arroyo government and the municipal government are responsible for the entry of Lafayette mining operation in our communities. They should be held responsible and accountable along with Lafayette for the recent fish kill that happened in our island. This fish kill has devastative impacts on the people of Rapu-Rapu, who are reliant on the sea and its bounty for daily sustenance,” says Antonio Casitas of Sagip Isla Sagip Kapwa, a community-based grassroots organization calling for the pull-out of Lafayette in Rapu-Rapu island.

The protesters are demanding the municipal government to immediately provide economic relief and compensation to the affected families and issue a municipal petition to close the operation of Lafayette in the area. Rapu-rapu Vice Mayor Odie Dela Cruz and three municipal councilors promised to tackle in their next session the filing of resolution for the economic compensation to the people and the immediate suspension and closure of Lafayette. They also ordered the released of 45 cavans of rice to be divided among the affected communities.

“Lafayette is literally killing us. Since the start of their open-pit mining operation, we already had two devastating mines spills, experienced drastic reduction of fish catch, and five fishkill incidents. There is widespread hunger now in the island, our children are dropping out of school, and there are fewer livelihood to do,” Mr. Casitas added.

Earlier, Peping Baloncio, a fisherfolk and resident of Poblacion, was hospitalized in Rapu-rapu District Hospital because of food poisoning. He reported that he ate the fish he caught the night before.

This week’s fish kill has affected at least five barangays in Rapu-Rapu, starting from Brgy. Pagcolbon and extending to as far as seven (7) kilometers north, up to the port area of Rapu-Rapu. These include the mining-affected barangays such as Pagcolbon and Malobago as well as adjacent areas such as Santa Barbara, Carubcob, and Poblacion. Local officials have immediately issued a warning not to catch and eat any fish coming from the island.

“DENR Secretary Lito Atienza should urgently take action on the issue. The DENR must immediately suspend the operation in Lafayette like what they previously did in October 2005 mine spills. It is the prudent thing to do given that record shows that Lafayette mining operation had previously caused fish kills in the area and the agency has not yet determined the cause of the incident, “says Kalikasan PNE National Coordinator Clemente Bautista . Kalikasan PNE is a national network leading a campaign for the closure of Lafayette mining project.

Yesterday, Albay Governor Jose Sarte Salceda called for an investigation into the Rapu-rapu fishkill. Gov. Salceda said his office had asked the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to undertake a thorough investigation of the reported fish kill incidents that happened on Sunday. Also, Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes and Lucilo Quiambao, Auxilliary Bishop of the Diocese of Legazpi renewed the call for the permanent closure of Lafayette’s mining operations.

According to Bautista, Kalikasan PNE’s stand against the mining operations of Lafayette is shared by organizations belonging to academic, scientific, religious, political, business fields such as AGHAM (Advocates of Science and Technology for the People), Aquinas University of Legazpi, Catholic Dioceses in Bicol region.