Luzon Declaration Considering that we on1 have 3% forest cover for the entire countr ; 60% ofwhich lies in Luzon. Add to this the fact that 52% hectares o f ances- tral domain i s in Luzon. Y n fact, 39% or 12 out o f the 31 large meta 7 lic mining operations are all operating in Luzon.

Considering that our protection against the dangers of global warming and climate change are ourforests, we are rig ht-fully alarmed about the current situation that allows for increasin devastation o f ou r country's remaining forests. With the exemption of mining from the total log ban, mining operations st i l l continue unabate % . We, concerned citizens in Luzon--representing women, children, students, rofessionals, the academe, the church, non-government or anizations, farmers, fishermen, the urban poor and indi enous peoples rom the regions o f Cordillera, Ilocos, Cagayan, Central Luzon, CALA- % e B ~ Z O N , MIMAROPA, and Bicol--are horrified and dismaye about the mining operations that are taking place and damaging our key biodiver- sity areas, water catchment areas, prime agricultural areas, ancestral domains, as well as offshore in marine biodiversity areas.

This has had severe adverse effects on our biodiversity, and the health, livelihood and culture o f our people.

Abra River has already been rossly polluted by the operations of Ben uet and Lepanto Mining. The pollution has gone all the way to the Lingayen Gulf and to the sea. %I arinduque continues to suffer. Mo pog iver, which used to be a source of irrigation for agricultural lands and % # fish~ng, i s s t i l l biologically dead. The Verde Island Passage that lies etween Batangas and Mindoro i s the "Center o f the Center" o f marine biodi- versity in the Ianet. Sibuyan Island, home to the world s densest forest, i s widely recognized as the Galapagos o f Asia. Palawan, the last ecologi- cal frontier o /' the country.

Luzon i s home of several natural world heritage sites: the Underground River in Palawan, Tubattaha in the Western Philippine Sea and the Ban awe Rice Terraces.

It also has the old growth forest o f the Sierra Mad re ; Cagayan River, the longest river in the Philippines.

Six o f the top ten rice-producing provinces are in Luzon; the top two being the provinces o f Nueva Ecija and Isa bela.

All these and more are put a t peril by mining because of the domino effect of the web of life.

In 201 1, the top ten cyclones all hi t Luzon. All mining tenements and plants are, therefore, high geohazard risks. Mr. President, if you continue to allow mining unabatedly, you are putting our lives and our future a t risk.

Mr. President, recently you said that you want 86% of Filipinos to have access to potable water system. Mining puts at risk this verv basic human riaht: in fact, manv of our communities no lonaer have access to clean drinkina water, and

Mr. President, the future of our people and our land is in your hands. On the other side are business and political interests. We are your people. There is another way.

The poorest areas in the country are minin areas. As proven for decades, minlng has no significant contr~bution to t e economy in terms of employment investment and revenues.

R Mr. President, hear our plea. Let this be your gift to the people: the defense of our patrimony

Signed on the 28th of February, 2012, during the Luzon Conference on Mining and Ecology held at the Yontlmcal, Koyal and Catholic University of Santo Tomas in its Quadricentennial celebration as the oldest university in Asia.