Timeline Of Significant Events

TIMELINE OF SIGNIFICANT EVENTS

March 24, 1996: Infamous Boac River Disaster wrought by the discharge of almost 3 million cubic meters of contaminated mine tailings from Marcopper's Tapian Pit causing the death of the 27-kilometer Boac River;

January 16, 2004: PGMA [the President]]issued EO 270 (National Policy Agenda on Revitalizing Mining in the Philippines). Because of this, and despite the biggest mining and environmental disaster in Marinduque, Marcopper's San Antonio Copper Project was still included in the administration's 24 mining priority areas.

October 4, 2005: Marinduque Provincial Government filed a civil suit against Placer Dome, Inc, in Nevada USA

October 28, 2005: In a historic move, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan positively approved MACEC's call for a mining moratorium in Marinduque. After MACEC's Executive Secretary Myke Magalang's address in the provincial board's session, the Sangguniang Panlalwigan adopted Resolution No. 379, s.2005 -- Declaring a Fifty (50)-Year Large-Scale Mining Moratorium in the Province of Marinduque

January 29, 2006: The CBCP issued a pastoral Statement entitled "A Statement on Mining Issues and Concerns," which questioned the mining revitalization plan of the government and called on PGMA to stop the 24 mining priority areas.

January 31, 2006: MACEC sponsored the Second Church-Local Government Leaders' Roundtable Discussion on Social Concerns. The Roundtable adopted the MARINDUQUE DECLARATION, a campaign to Delist San Antonio Copper Project from the Arroyo government's mining priority areas. This is the very first initiative from the 24 mining priority sites to formally request the delisting of a mining project from the priority list.

March 10, 2006: During the private dialogue between PGMA and some bishops at Trader's Hotel, Bishop Rey Evangelista formally brought before the attention of the President Marinduque's appeal to delist San Antonio Copper Project from the mining priority projects.

March 24, 2006: 13,000 Marinduqueños, wearing black, converged in Boac Covered Court to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the infamous Boac River Disaster spearheaded by MACEC. Government and Church leaders reiyerayed the call for the 'delisting.'

April 4, 2006: In response to the recommendation of MACEC for the Sangguniang Panlalawigan to enlist the support of all the municipal legislative councils to the campaign for a mining-free province, the first ever Special Joint Session of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan and all of the six Sangguniang Bayan in Marinduque was held. They adopted Resolution No. 06-005 (Requesting Her Excellency, president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to Delist the Province of Marindquue from the Twenty-Three (23) Mining Priority Areas of Her Administration.

July 3, 2006: The second meeting between Bishop Rey Evangelista and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (during the Bishops'-Businessmen's Conference) regarding the Marinduqueños' appeal for the delisting of the San Antonio Copper Project.

August 11, 2006: Bishop Reynaldo Evangelista prepared a nine-page letter summarizing the various environmental, safety, health and social problems encountered by the province because of mining operations. It was transmitted to the Office of the President.

October 15, 2006: MACEC ended its signature campaign in support of the Marinduque Declaration. The campaign gathered 10,765 signatures of support and 25 resolutions, manifestos and petitions of support. All the documents were consolidated into a 4-inch thick hard-bound documents.

October 18, 2006: A delegation headed by MACEC Executive Secretary Myke Magalang and Boac Vice-Mayor Sonny L. Paglinawan personally submitted the hard-bound documents to the Office of the President, the Office of the Mineral Development Council and Office of the DENR Secretary.

December 15, 2006: PGMA visited Marinduque to see for herself the effects of Supertyphoon Reming. In her private dialogue with Bishop Rey Evangelista, the bishop reminded the president, for the 3rd time, the people's demand for the delisting of the mining project.

December 19, 2006: DENR-MGB Horacio C. Ramos wrote Bishop Rey to inform him of the delisting of the San Antonio Copper Project.

January 18, 2007: Bishop Rey Evangelista received from the mail the letter of DENR-MGB Director Horacio C. Ramos.

January 19, 2007: A copy of Dir. Ramos' Letter was faxed by MACEC Executive Secretary Myke Magalang to the Office of Usec Valdes in Malacañang for the official action of PGMA:

Republic of the Philippines
Department of Environment and Natural Resources
MINES AND GEOSCIENCES BUREAU
North Avenue, Diliman,
Quezon City, Philippines

December 19, 2006

Most Rev. Reynaldo G. Evangelista, D.D Bishop of Boac
Roman Catholic Bishop of Boac Boac, Marinduque

Dear Bishop Evangelista,

This is in response to your letter dated 11 August 2006 addressed to President Gloria Macapagal Aroyo regarding the earnest request for the immediate "delisting" or removal from the proposed mining tenements of the government the San Antonio Copper Project in Sta. Cruz, Marinduque citing, among other reasons, the environmental, safety and health and social problems encountered by the province for hosting the said copper mining projects for almost three (3) decades.

As per earlier agreement during the Bishop Conference held in Intramuros and Ortigas Center, please be informed that this Office have already removed the said San Antonio Copper Project as early as the first quarter of this year from the 24 priority development projects being presented by the MGB in its mining investment promotion activities.

Notwithstanding this move, however, this Office considers the possibility that there would still be investors interested to inquire or get basic information about the project. In this case, the MGB is bound by its mandate and agency thrust to provide the basic information particularly referring them to the managers or caretakers of the project to address their queries.

Thank you.
Very Truly Yours,
Horatio C. Ramos