Mining firm files libel suit vs group

Lafayette Philippines, which is engaged in a poly­metallic project in Albay, has filed a libel suit against an anti-mining group and its key officers, saying “their brand of irresponsible and un-principled advocacy employed a systematic pattern of lies and hate-mongering” to pressure the government to close down the company.

“We are taking this unprecedented defensive measure to protect the company and the thousands of people we employ directly and indirectly, and to force these anti-mining groups to be a positive force through a moral, honest, and responsible advocacy,” said Carlos Dominguez, chairman and president of Lafayette.

Included in the complaint filed before the Pasig City prosecutor’s office were the trustees of the Center for Environmental Concerns Inc. (CEC) and its executive director, Frances Quimpo who, the company said, has insisted, for almost two years running, on allegations “long been proven as a hoax and unscientific.”

The company is seeking P10 million in damages which it plans to use as a scholarship fund for deserving Rapu Rapu students to secure advanced degrees in environmental management and protection.

The company is also preparing similar complaints against radical groups, including a Rapu Rapu resident who even flew to Melbourne just to distribute anti-Lafayette handouts to the company’s bankers.

Dominguez said the anti-mining advocates succeeded last year in making people believe that the company caused a mercury spill off the coast of Sorsogon, across the sea from Rapu Rapu, the project’s location. He said the company does not use mercury at all.

“It took us months to clear our name with the help of independent scientific groups,” he said.