From paradise to wasteland: Environmental destruction, rights violations abound in Bicol’s mining industry

“The mining companies will never be able to convince me that they mean well for the Filipino people or the economy. They come into the Philippines, start their operations and rake in money — all at the expense of the environment and Filipinos. They destroy forests, mangroves, mountain areas. They poison lakes, rivers and the smaller bodies of water like streams. Not content, they employ thousands of armed elements including soldiers and paramilitary forces to protect their machines, guard the areas they have so immorally and unjustly claimed as theirs, and kill citizens who have the courage to stand up against them,” he said.
http://bulatlat.com/main/2012/10/11/from-paradise-to-wasteland-environmental-destruction-rights-violations-abound-in-bicols-mining-industry/