KASIBU, Nueva Vizcaya—Alex Felipe, a Filipino-Canadian who visited Didipio in 2008, was fascinated by the ongoing land acquisition process at that time. He posted in his blog photos of locals and their narratives about the land acquisition process. When he left Didipio, Felipe promised to visit again someday to see the changes in people’s lives.
There are many overseas Filipinos who went to Didipio on different occasions to see for themselves what’s going on. Some left positive feedbacks about mining, while others see the open pit as destruction rather than an ongoing economic activity.
Anti-mining advocates all over the world organized countless solidarity missions to Didipio since the 90’s, hoping to generate a global public opinion to back their advocacy to halt mining operations here.
In several occasions where they agreed with the company’s terms, foreign anti-mining visitors could inspect every inch of the mine, including the ongoing construction of the access tunnel or decline towards the mine deposits underground.
The sheer contrast between the best practices introduced by OceanaGold and the artisanal methods of small scale mining has elevated the subject as a ripe study area for higher studies. Academics were observed to be flocking in Didipio. “We observed many visitors are coming here doing house-to-house surveys more often,” says a resident.
Oxfam, Greenpeace, and Friends of the Earth curved a niche for Didipio in the international community as it was listed in their so-called ‘sites of struggle.’ Having gained a global attention, research-oriented people placed Didipio on the list of important destination for case studies.
Suppliers from Metro Manila found their way to Didipio. “In one afternoon, I found two sales representatives of a heavy equipment spare parts company looking for a place to stay,” narrated a resident. The visitors were shown the way going to the house of Rosanna Lawagan, a promising entrepreneur who started to make money out of offering the third floor of her big house to transients.
In the Macraes mine at New Zealand’s South Islands, OceanaGold had a similar experience. The old hostel and billiard hall in the community was preserved for mine tours. The open pit that turned into a lake was developed as a fishing ground by the local Otago Fishing Game club.
“People find the open pit ugly at this time. But by the time mining is finished and this pit evolves into a lake, people might change their minds,” said engineer Jason Magdaong, the Environment Department manager of OceanaGold’s Didipio Operations.
Magdaong is an Outstanding Pollution Control Officer recognized by the Pollution Control Association of the Philippines Inc. in two succeeding years.