PMEA Blog

The Philippines’ ambition to become a world leader in mineral production isn’t just running up against the global credit crunch. Mining in this Southeast Asian nation also is being hamstrung by the Roman Catholic Church.

Over the past few years, Bishop Arturo Bastes has spearheaded the church’s campaign to shut down a gold and copper mine in Rapu-Rapu island, in the central Philippines. Bishop Bastes hounded the mine’s Australian developers after a chemical spill at the site, and now is working on shutting down the new owners — a consortium led by South Korean industrial giant LG International Corp.

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