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| Portrait in progress, pencil and copper paint on paper |
Juvy Capion was one of the leaders of an organization fighting for the rights of the B'laan people in the Philippines to prevent mining on their ancestral lands. Sagittarius Mines, Inc (SMI), owned by swiss-operated X-strata, is the owner of the Tambakan gold and copper project. There have been many conflicts with the local tribes over the legality and ethics of their developments. According to statements by Mrs. Capion before her death, SMI did not fairly obtain consent for the development of the land for the Tambakan mine, but instead obtained the signatures from fake "leaders" of the tribe who were asked to sign a sheet of paper to be given a free lunch.
Capion's husband Daguil, was leading a resistance to SMI and was a wanted fugitive at the time of his wife's death.
In October of 2012, Juvy Capion and two of her children, Jordan (age 15) and Jhon (age 7) were killed when the Philippine army stormed their house. The soldiers allege that they were searching for Daguil Capion as they had a warrant for his arrest, and that they were fired upon when they arrived at the house. Other witnesses to the encounter said that Juvy and her sons were shot as they were sleeping and that Daguil was no where near the home at the time. No charges have been filed against the soldiers as the Philippine government has declared that the incident was the result of a legitimate effort to capture Daguil Capion.
According to a recent Al Jazeera article, there have been 67 murders of environmental activists in the Philippines and only 2 suspects have been charged.
Sources:
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2014/04/filipino-eco-warriors-losing-battle-philippines-2014415125912780562.html
http://www.rappler.com/nation/14418-anti-mining-tribe-leader’s-wife,-2-sons-killed-in-‘encounter’
http://www.nordis.net/?p=14075
http://www.rappler.com/business/special-report/whymining/whymining-latest-stories/141-no2mining/2065-mining-is-a-social-justice-issue
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