Jamby to file case vs Gov. Carrion for reopening of Marcopper Mines

Senator Jamby Madrigal's unrelenting fight for the enviroment may make it necessary to file a case against Marinduque Governor Bong Carrion for pushing for the re-opening of the Marcopper mines.

The destruction of the main river in Marinduque and six sub-river systems has been particularly deleterious to the livelihood of fishermen and farmers, many of whom have pending damage suits against Marcopper.

Two years ago, protesting farmers and fishermen supported by environmental groups demanded payment for the destruction caused by the 1996 calamity and reiterated they would oppose any move to reopen the mine, which operated for about 60 years and discharged more than 200 million tons of waste into the bay.

All riverine life in Marinduque has been slaughtered by the waste dumped by Marcopper and the levels of arsenic, cadmium, and copper are high, with agricultural land and sources of drinking water contaminated.

Local officials are also demanding quick reparation for the damage to the environment, along with more than a billion in taxes left unpaid by the shuttered company and its beneficial owner, Placer Dome Inc., a Canadian mining company.

It was under Bong Carrion's term as governor in 1996 that the Marcopper mine accident happened. The re-elected governor of Marinduque was said to have purposely neglected checking up on the operations of the Marcopper Mines in exchange for a generous donation to his campaign funds.

Carrion, who is a known womanizer who loves latching himself on to rich women, is going after the pipe dream of reopening the Marcopper mines just in time for the 2010 elections.