#KitaAngDiwalwal:
The Future of the People's Small-Scale Mining in Mt. Diwata
By: ATTY. JASPER ALBERTO H. LASCANO, ENP, CESO V Regional Director, Mines and Geosciences Bureau RO XI – DENR October 6, 2021
I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This policy foresight paper proposes a transformed future for the 729-Hectare People's Small Scale Mining Area, or PSSMA, within the Diwalwal Mineral Reservation Area, or DMRA, with a 20-year time horizon.
Since the 1980s, Diwalwal has been known for its illegal mining operations brought about by various driving factors that shaped its notoriously complicated history. Due to deeper assumptions against mining, descriptions of chaos, environmental degradation, and social deterioration, people refer to Diwalwal as the Philippines' Wild, Wild West, Environmental Nightmare, and Sodom and Gomorrah. These are metaphors for the narratives of power struggle, damage as a necessary evil, and hell on earth perpetuating the present issues.
This policy foresight paper proposes approaches and narratives that foster inclusiveness, accountability, and significance towards #KitaAngDiwalwal, meaning #WeAreDiwalwal, a scenario presenting a transformed community in Diwalwal.