The Ateneo de Manila University is seeking a dialogue with the country鈥檚 mining industry in hopes of improving its mining-related research and clearing the air amid the differences over the effects of mining on the environment.
Fr. Jose Villarin, the Ateneo president, extended the invitation to a dialogue after the Chamber of Mines, in an advertisement published yesterday, attacked as 鈥渁 farce鈥� the Ateneo鈥檚 鈥淭he Future of Mining in the Philippines鈥� conference which was held Tuesday.
鈥淚nstead of attacking the school and the conference, we ask them to come to the table and sit down with us to tell us where ASoG (Ateneo School of Government) did not get it right and how to improve our research,鈥� said Villarin in a statement.
The Chamber of Mines has criticized ASoG for what the business group said was its anti-mining bias.
In an advertisement in newspapers Tuesday, the chamber said ASoG had largely excluded the mining industry from its conference.
鈥淭he ASoG conference on 鈥楾he Future of Mining in the Philippines鈥� is a farce. We will not allow ourselves to be drawn into a forum disguised as an academic conference,鈥� it said in the ad.
The mining group said 鈥渘one from the industry were invited as presenters鈥� in the conference and that its members, while asked to serve as reactors, were given little time to review the 鈥渧oluminous鈥� papers.
鈥淗ow can a conference on 鈥楾he Future of the Mining Industry鈥欌�� take place without the participation of the industry? This certainly runs counter to ASoG鈥檚 claim that it is a school that 鈥榤akes possible a learning process that bridges the gap between classroom wisdom and real-world policy decision-making and governance,鈥欌�� the group said.
Villarin said the chamber 鈥渕isunderstood the nature of the academic conference鈥� and, contrary to the group鈥檚 claim, those who were chosen to make the presentations 鈥渄o not have a reputation [of being antimining] or a record on mining.鈥�
鈥淚 reject the accusation that all the presenters are known to be antimining鈥� In fact, they were chosen precisely because of their ability to be objective and independent,鈥� said the Ateneo president.