This is the old “formula” used by the mining company TVIRD to get their way into the community and is still effective up to now. Engine roars and intimidations greeted Catalina Calma last July 2, 2007 when an officer from the Community Development Office of TVI visited her in her house. Catalina Calma thought that the purpose of the visit was purely negotiation, but she’s all mistaken.

Late last year, the Calma family demands 300,000 PhP as payment for their property, which includes their house and plantations. Sometime in December 2006, members of the Community Relation Development Office (CREDO) led by Oscar Covarubias, negotiated to the Calma family to lower the amount and Catalina Calma eventually consented and settled to the amount of 200,000 Php. It was formalized with the signing of the agreement. The Calma family was elated at the thought of having such big amount of money. But it was temporary, after the administrative department through Lolie Micabalo and Cynthia Comisas went to the Calma household, with no coordination with the CREDO, and tried to convinced Catalina Calma to accept a much lower amount of money (160,000 Php). Catalina Calma decided not to accept the offer. But TVIRD was not happy with the decision. Bulldozers and armed SCAA were sent to do the talking and started to bulldozed the trees and plants near the house of the Calma family.

For fear that the bulldozers would eventually demolish their house, Catalina asked for help from her neighbors who immediately went and barricaded the house. The presence of the people from the community made the operators of the bulldozers to stop what their doing. The neighbors of Catalina decided to have a “vigil” within the vicinity 24 hours a day to ensure the safety of the Calma household and their property (or what has been left). To sustain their “vigil”, members of the community share whatever they have; food, money , moral and spiritual support. Up to this time the “vigil” continues but the resources to sustain it is about to be exhausted. They asked support from DCMI but still its not enough and TVIRD is just waiting for the vigil to stop so they can continue with the demolition. If the house of the Calma family will be demolished, the community who oppose to the operation of TVIRD will be greatly affected. The road going to the area of the Small Scale Miners and the Subanon community will be closed and be opened for a mining operation and it will be difficult for the people to go to their houses and farms and if they’ll have difficulty in going to their area they might end up leaving their community ( which is what TVIRD really wants) and if there’s nobody in the community who will oppose to the operation of TVIRD then it will be the day that the mining company rejoices and there will be no more stopping to their destructive operations into the sacred Mt. Canatuan.