Now for the Politics.

When you are dealing with Asian countries, you have to make yourself welcome.   Just because you are a big corporate hard hitter, doesn't mean that you will be automatically invited into the fold.   You see, there have been some huge changes in the political arena in the Philippines when it comes to multinational mining.   If you puff your chest out too loudly, you may just be quietly asked to leave.   No fuss, no fanfare.   These countries can make it impossible for businesses to continue to do business, and its not all about the money.   More times than not, it has nothing to do with the money.   It is a cultural line that you may have crossed, and a complete disregard to what is their people and their land.  You will be quietly asked to dispose of your asset to the highest bidder, in the quickest of time.

I spend an exorbitant amount of time in Thailand. I am well versed in the south east Asian way of conducting yourself in business .  My sister in law is a Filipino, and we often debate about the two countries, but one thing for sure is, if you are looking to do business in either country, you have to be made welcome, and being made welcome doesn't really mean that you have the most money to pass around, but it is about being accepted as a man of your word, and being sympathetic to the culture.   Empathy and a shared vision go a long way.   I think our people have proven themselves to the powers to be that they are a perfect fit for the Phillipines, both in a moral and business sense.  If you don't have that, you wont pass go.

From Fr. Edwin Garriguez. (The Philippines is a majority Catholic based religious country.)

On April 20, 2011, Mindoro Resources Inc., a Canadian junior company based in Edmonton and listed in Toronto Stock Exchange announced that it will commence the Pre-Feasibility study for Agata Nickel Project in Surigao, Mindanao. In July 2010, Mindoro Resources was granted 2.1 Canadian dollars by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to support this project.

However, the Environmental and Social Review Summary of 2008 did not address the concern that the area for mining is part of the Lake Mainit watershed, the 4th largest lake and home to 31 coastal villages. There are also allegations that the company secured the needed consent of the indigenous peoples in a highly questionable manner.

With the above-given examples, and more similar cases all over the country, we affirm the findings in the research study conducted by The Canadian Center for the Study of Resource Conflict in 2009, that the Canadian mining companies had been prominently involved in environmental degradation, unethical behaviour and in propagating conflicts among communities.

Also, the aggressive pursuit of mining investments has necessarily spawned numerous human rights abuses, especially against individuals and communities opposed to mining. The abuse has included both physical and psychological harassment. A number of anti-mining advocates have also been killed. As of February 2011, at least seven (7) anti-mining activists have sacrificed their lives in defence of their land and natural resources.

One incident of this kind happened in Sibuyan, Romblon, now a Canadian-owned mining concession, Altai Resources, subsidiary of Altai Philippine Mining Corp. The purpose of killing is clear, to cultivate a climate of fear and stifle opposition. But instead, it is breeding resistance and is strengthening a grassroots anti-mining movement.
The transnational corporations have become very powerful players, doing intensified economic transactions that cross national boundaries.

The policy or investment decisions are being formulated primarily by market considerations and not by national interest. As in the case of the Philippines and other developing countries, what is ironic is that national policies are being framed or reformulated to suit the dictated interest of the mining investment.

The arena of struggle for anti-mining campaign should not totally rely on the strength of local victories. Since the issue and the new hierarchy of power have assumed global character, the campaign necessarily has to assume global engagement.

Large-scale mining is not an isolated economic activity. It is always within the ambit of a larger network of interconnections and the dangers or risks that it poses are common to all other sites in other parts of the world. Given this situation, any effort to create global solidarity and cooperation, particularly among the church network, is a very welcome initiative.

"Its not all about just walking in and looking for Gold.   Its also got a little to do with, "OK, we will give you the opportunity, but first prove to us who you are.   What kind of men are we dealing with!"