Photo credit: Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center

Church leaders representing affected communities, together with the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center, have filed letter-requests to Malacañang, urging the government to declare the Financial or Technical Assistance Agreement (FTAA) of the contentious Tampakan copper-gold project, owned by Sagittarius Mines, Inc. (SMI), illegal.

The move comes after the Tampakan FTAA lapsed, raising concerns about the project's environmental impact and lack of necessary regulatory compliances for renewal.

Rev. Cerilo Casicas, Bishop of the Diocese of Marbel, spoke on behalf of the signatories, emphasizing, "We respectfully believe that the extension of the FTAA is beyond the powers of the MGB and must be declared void, especially considering the potential impact on critical environmental areas."

The petitioners argue that SMI should have undergone consultations, environmental impact assessments, and other regulatory processes for the FTAA's renewal, which they failed to do.

Consequently, the communities and church leaders are calling for the cancellation of the Tampakan Mine project, citing the absence of legal grounds for its continuation.