In 2004, MINA the industry association which seeks to encourage greater mineral exploration and development in Mindanao Philippinesa, donated a school building to the indigenous peoples of Barangay Macambol in a bid to win their support for its mining project inside the ancestral land of Mandaya and Higaonon natives.
Leaders of Higaonon natives here disclosed that they were being offered at least P1 million in exchange for their support of the mining project of at least eight multinational companies in the fishing village of Macambol.
Datu Manaon Victor Aying said he and the tribal leaders of Higaonon natives turned down the offer.
"We told the mining firms that we will never accept that P1 million bribe money. What is at stake here are the lives of indigenous people. If we will allow the mining project inside our ancestral land, it is tantamount to killing our tribe," Aying told the Inquirer.
"Kill us all first, only then will you get our ancestral lands. We will never allow mining activities here because everybody knows it is destructive, it kills the ecology, it kills our only source of living," Aying added.
Fr. Medardo Salomia, leader of the Interfaith Movement for Peace Empowerment and Development (Impede), said a "huge amount of bribe money" from mining firms was also being dangled to him.
Impede has called on the people here to oppose the mining project citing the massive ecological destruction wrought by mining disasters in the country. Ferdinand Zuasola, PDI Mindanao Bureau
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