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2. Marcopper Mining Corporation co-
owned by the Canadian firm Placer
Dome Inc.
Mining Site: Mt. Tapian, Marinduque
Type: Open pit mining

4. Mining is the process of removing ore from
beneath the earth's surface. There are two
types of mining that are traditionally used,
appropriate to the nature of the deposit. Open
pit mining is used when a shallow layer of
material covers the ore.

5. Heavy machinery is used to lift off earth and
uncover the minerals. When the ore is far
enough down where open pit mining is not
practical, the more traditional underground
method is used. Shafts are driven into the
ground to remove the material and bring it to
the surface.

6. Once removed, the ore-bearing rock is ground
up into powder and mixed with water and
chemicals into slurry. Compressed air is
pumped through the mixture causing the
copper to hold to the bubbles. These bubbles
are then skimmed off the surface and the
minerals can be used. The rest of the mixture,
or tailings, is waste (Hamilton-Paterson 1997).

7. In 1972, Marcopper disposed of its waste on land.
This changed in 1975 when a blanket permit was
given to Marcopper, which allowed them to dump
mine tailings into the Calancan Bay at the rate of
2.5 tons per second. The amount of tailings
produced from mines in Marinduque is high because
the ore is low grade, containing only 0.44 percent
copper. This means a large amount of rock has to be
removed and ends up as waste (Hamilton-Paterson
1997).

8. From 1975 to mid-1991, Dome dumped some 200
million tons of mine tailings via surface disposal into
Calancan Bay. The shallow bottom is covered by
approximately 80 sq km of tailings including a five km
long causeway of exposed tailings. Throughout this
period, Placer Dome denied the dumping hurt the
fishermen, who relied on the bay as a livelihood
(KASAMA 1998). Not only was waste entering Calancan
Bay, but in order to drain rainwater from the mining pit,
a tunnel was built from the mine to the Boac River.

9. December 1993 Manguil-guila earthen
dam, a siltation dam collapsed due to
Typhoon Monang which affected
Mogpog River
Mogpog River declared dead

11.  on March 24, 1996, 2-3 million tons of mine
waste leaked into the 26- kilometer long Boac
River. The plug that sealed the Tapian pit
tunnel to the Boac had fractured, releasing
mine waste at a rate of 5-10 cubic meters per
second. The pit contained around 23 million
metric tons of mine waste (Tauli-Corpuz).

12. Terrestrial Environment
The immediate effects were disastrous. Flash
floods isolated villages and one was buried
under six feet of floodwater. The channels, as
well as the valley floor, were buried under
mine tailings. Agricultural fields were
inundated, and the drinking water residents
relied on was contaminated.

13. Terrestrial Environment
On the other hand, collected soil samples
revealed that it had unacceptable levels of
lead, cadmium and elevated levels of copper
and zinc while lead values in the air samples
exceeded the standards of the US
Environmental Protection Agency.

14. Cadmium Poisoning Symptoms
Nausea and vomiting
Diarrhea
Abdominal pain and cramping
Tenesmus: A sensation that you need to have a
bowel movement, but you don't actually need
to defecate

15. Cadmium
Other potential chronic effects include:
 Kidney disease
 Lung disease
 Immune system problems
 Nervous system problems
 Fragile bones
 Low birthweight
 Increased risk of lung cancer

16. Lead
At high levels of exposure to lead the brain
and central nervous system can be severely
damaged causing coma, convulsions and even
death. Children who survive severe lead
poisoning may be left with permanent
intellectual disability and behavioural
disorders.

17. Lead
In particular, lead can affect children’s brain
development, resulting in reduced intelligence quotient
(IQ), behavioural changes such as reduced attention
span and increased antisocial behaviour, and reduced
educational attainment. Lead exposure also causes
anaemia, hypertension, renal impairment,
immunotoxicity and toxicity to the reproductive organs.
The neurological and behavioural effects of lead are
believed to be irreversible.

18. Copper Poisoning
feeling anxious or irritable
having trouble paying attention
feeling overexcited or overwhelmed
feeling unusually sad or depressed
sudden changes in your mood

19. Copper
Long term toxicity
kidney conditions
liver damage or failure
heart failure
brain damage

20. Zinc
Acute Toxicity
nausea
vomiting
stomachache
diarrhea
headaches

21. Aquatic Environment
Fish, shrimp and other food sources, which are
the main livelihood for those who do not work
for Marcopper, were immediately killed. The
government declared the Boac River dead.

22. Citizens
Twenty villages out of the 60 had to evacuate
their area following the accident.
A report released on April 17, 1996 by the
Department of Health found nine residents in
the area to have zinc levels in their blood
more than 200% above safe limits.

23. Citizens
Water samples found levels of contamination
1,300% above the human tolerable level of .5
microgram per 1/1000 liters of water. Despite
these findings, Marcopper held on to the claim
that the tailings were non-toxic. Residents also
complained of skin irritations and respiratory
problems, which could have been caused by the
poisonous vapors emitted from tailings (Tauli-
Corpuz).

24. In its decision dated May 16, 2022, Marinduque Regional
Trial Court Branch 38 granted the damages plea of the 30
plaintiffs in the case against the Marcopper Mining
Corporation.
This included a P200,000 ($3,800) in temperate damages
and P100,000 ($1,900) in moral damages to each of at
least thirty plaintiffs that filed the case in 2001. Another
one million pesos ($19,000) as exemplary damages was
awarded to all the plaintiffs, according to Legal Rights
and Natural Resources Center, which has been assisting
the plaintiffs.

25. Thank you.