THE Chamber of Mines of the Philippines, headed by its president Benjamin Philip G. Romualdez, has expressed deep sorrow for the senseless killing of Italian priest Fr. Fausto Tentorio.
“We are enraged and condemn in the strongest terms this yet another act of violence against a man of God,” the Chamber said in a statement.
The rest of the statement reads: “We strongly criticize some leaders of the Roman Catholic Church and anti-mining groups who were quick to link the entire minerals development industry to this crime. We ask them to exercise duty of care and diligence in their pronouncements, specifically their blanket condemnation of the mining industry. We ask them to be more circumspect and responsible in their statements; they should not take advantage of this incident and make it as another opportunity to denigrate the whole mining industry.
“We should all learn from the Dr. Gerry Ortega murder case in Palawan, which some sectors initially blamed on the industry and was subsequently proven wrong. Comments on the Fr. Tentorio case should be reserved until after a thorough investigation by the Department of Justice has been completed. Until then, all statements as to the reason behind this latest criminal act are pure speculation.
“We join the call for the Philippine government to act immediately so that those behind the Fr. Tentorio and Dr. Ortega murder cases will be brought to justice.
“For the record, the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines does not have a member-company in North Cotabato where Fr. Tentorio met his unfortunate fate.
We reiterate our commitment to uphold the human rights of all stakeholders. We are guided by our core values founded on the fundamental principle of respect for and protection of human dignity.”
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Source: Journal.com.ph, October 20, 2011
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