Currently at its exploration stage, the Tampakan copper and gold mine has the potential to be the largest open-pit mine in the Philippines and one of the largest of its kind in the world. Its location in Southern Mindanao is characterised by political tensions and violent conflict. MISEREOR and Fastenopfer in collaboration with Bread for All, commissioned Institute for Development and Peace (INEF) to carry out a human rights impact assessment (HRIA) of the project.

Published in 2013, the HRIA report raises significant human rights concerns about the mine, which covers ancestral domains of indigenous communities. These concerns are emphasised by local partners and are related to livelihood, housing, health, environmental and cultural impacts.

The report concludes that the Philippine government bears the primary responsibility for the fragile situation in the area.  However, it also names Sagittarius Mines (SMI) and its major shareholders Xstrata Copper (now part of Glencore Xstrata) and Indophil Resources as bearing strong responsibility, pointing to their high level of control and leverage over the project. The home governments of these companies, Switzerland and Australia, were also called upon to consider their duties.

The full text of the HRIA [PDF] is available here.

Company responses
Business & Human Rights Resources Centre invited SMI, Indophil Resources and Glencore Xstrata to respond to the HRIA. Their responses are below:

Sagittarius Mines (SMI):
-       [PDF] Public response to the HRIA, Jun 2013
-       [PDF] Company statement on revising approach on Tampakan, Aug 2013
-       [PDF] Response to BHRRC, May 2014 

Indophil Resources:
-       [PDF] Response to BHRRC, May 2014

Indophil also referred us to the following materials:
- [PDF] ‘The Australian Minerals Industry & Human Rights’, Global Compact Australia & Minerals Council of Australia, 2013
- [PDF] ‘Enduring Value: The Australian Minerals Industry Framework for Sustainable Development’, Minerals Council of Australia, Jul 2005 

Glencore Xstrata:
-       [PDF] Response to BHRRC, May 2014