10,000 participants join pro-Lafayette prayer-rally
By Manly Ugalde
Correspondent

LEGAZPI CITY—An estimated 10,000 people took part on Tuesday in the pro-Lafayette Philippines Inc. prayer-rally for “responsible mining” and the signing of a memorandum of understanding at the Legazpi Astrodome.
       However, contrary to what Lafayette spokesman Julito Sarmiento had said earlier, members of the religious groups did not participate in the prayer-rally. Only one priest attended. He was Rev. Fr. Noe de los Santos, who lead the opening prayer.
       Bishop Nestor Cariño of the Diocese of Legazpi had earlier issued a statement denying reports being circulated that some priests and bishops would attend the rally.        “There would be no priests and bishops who would attend the Lafayette prayer assembly,” Cariño had said in his statement.
       Sarmiento said Lafayette had invited priests who are not antimines to join the rally.
       As the participants crowded the astrodome, a few members of militant groups gathered at the back of the astrodome carrying placards saying “No to Mining!”
       John Abejuro of the Social Action Center and executive officer of the church-backed Bicol Alliance Against Mining said the prayer-rally would not deter the antimines groups from pressing for the closure of the Rapu-Rapu mines as recommended by the fact-finding commission headed by Bishop Arturo Bastes, which conducted an investigation into last October’s mine-tailings spills allegedly responsible for fish kills in Albay and Sorsogon.
       Abejuro said Lafayette had provided scores of buses and jeepneys from Sorsogon and Albay that ferried participants to the Legazpi Astrodome complete with food and shirts printed with “Yes to Responsible Mining.”
       Albay Gov. Fernando Gonzales and Sorsogon Gov. Raul Lee had earlier issued press statements saying they were for the test-run of the Rapu-Rapu mines and their continued operation after remedial measures on the uncovered defects had been corrected.
       Legazpi City Police Chief Supt. Narciso Guarin placed the prayer-rally participants at more than 4,000.
       Sarmiento said the astrodome capacity is only 8,000 and the supposed 10,000 ralliers would not fit inside.
       Meanwhile, in Quezon City, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is conducting today a forum on the issues confronting the mining operation in Rapu-Rapu, Albay.
       The forum will be held at the National Institute of Geological Sciences of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City.
       DENR Secretary Angelo T. Reyes has invited members of the Bastes Commission, scientists, government officials and representatives of Lafayette Philippines Inc. to attend the forum.
       Reyes said the “discussions and outputs of the forum will provide the DENR with a better appreciation of the issues” on which the DENR is expected to render a ruling.