Research in a dangerous place

t isn’t Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, but a University of Calgary researcher’s work on Mindanao is definitely an adventure. And while he admits that the excitement of travelling to this volatile Philippine island is alluring, the insights he obtains is a bigger draw.

Dr. Wil Holden, a U of C environmental science and geography professor, studies environmental management and policy, including related issues in the developing world. And in the Philippines, there are plenty of issues, violent conflicts and Supreme Court cases pitting the mining industry against NGOs and community groups.

These conflicts are in danger of escalating, given the anger being expressed by civil society groups over a recent Supreme Court decision to allow 100 per cent foreign ownership of major mining operations. This controversial decision was a reversal of an earlier decision to restrict foreign ownership.

“ The Philippines is a great place to do this type of research because the laws are in English. I can go there and hit the ground running,” says Holden, who has a law degree, a master’s degree in economics and a PhD in geography. “The Philippines also has a reputation for having a very strong civil society. There are a lot of NGOs and what they call people’s organizations that are opposed to mining and their federal government’s encouragement of mining. I want to learn more about these groups.”

Holden’s environmental management and policy research promises to benefit NGOs, mining companies and Canadian foreign aid agencies that are working in developing countries.

His first trip to Mindanao last summer was to volunteer for the Legal Rights Centre (LRC), a legal action group comprised of young lawyers that has launched constitutional battles against the mining industry. Collaborating with LRC provided Holden with legal insights and a degree of safety during his stay.

“ Mindanao, in general, is still a dangerous place,” he says. In fact, the Canadian government advises Canadians not to travel to Mindanao unless they have “critically important” or family business.

There are at least three active terror groups, including the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Abu Sayaf. The latter has been linked to al-Queda and the kidnappings and murders of foreigners. A Maoist group, the New People’s Army, was recently involved in gunfights with the Philippine army. Bombs have also exploded in public places, such as an airport.

Travellers also need to take precautions against malaria and dengue fever.
Despite the dangers, Holden can’t wait to return. “The scenery is phenomenal. And the Filipino people have to be the friendliest people in the world.”

The trips are also productive. This semester Holden is working on four research papers.

His first peer-reviewed paper, on Indigenous Peoples and Nonferrous Metals Mining in the Philippines, will be published this fall in The Pacific Review.

There are a number of reasons why Filipino civil society and most regional governments are opposing mining developments, especially those led by foreign companies, says Holden. One reason is that some developments are on indigenous lands. Another big reason is previous environmental disasters. For example, at the Marcopper Mine located on Marinduque Island, a tailings facility collapsed into a river in 1996.

As a result of this much-publicized accident, 1.5 million cubic metres of tailings were released and a 26-kilometre stretch of river was declared biologically dead, leading to major economic and social disruptions to at least 24 villages.
Holden’s LRC hosts took him to other sites, including one where acid mine drainage was obvious. In 1997, a dam leaked at this site and was blockaded by locals for months, eventually closing the operation.

Holden went to the subsistence fishing village of Macambol, where the locals are concerned about a nickel mine development.

There residents have serious concerns about the environmental impact on fishing and nearby nature and ocean preserves. Frequent earthquakes and heavy rainfalls also raise the community’s concerns about potential leaks from tailings impoundments.

Another concern is the practice of subterranean submarine tailing disposal, where tailings are dumped in the ocean. The concern for the locals is exactly how far offshore these tailings will be dumped and how it will impact their fishing.

Holden was also interested in studying industry and community conflicts in western Mindanao, however his LRC hosts advised him that this region was too dangerous for him to go to. Conflicts in this region involve accusations (and denials) of violence, pollution, divided communities and violations of sacred lands.
While this type of research in Mindanao is far too dangerous to take his students, Holden uses his research to highlight concepts in his course Environmental Geography 321: Environmental Problems and Resource Management.
“ I’m using a lot of examples in the curriculum, probably far too many,” he laughs.

“It’s a good example of how research and teaching feed back on one another.”