The struggle against mining in Oriental Mindoro, Philippines: a social movement for sustainable development

The concept of sustainable development permits the construction of various responsible range of futures. However, development interventions such as those found in the colonial and postcolonial Oriental Mindoro obstruct these possibilities. The non-committal stance of the Philippine government towards sustainable development, the moribund economy of Oriental Mindoro resulting from colonial and postcolonial development interventions, and the entry of the multinational mining company that displaced communities, triggered the formation of a social movement that pursued protest actions with a militant and transformative mode while providing autonomous spaces for different identities and interests. The struggle against mining sharpened the contradictory vision of development of the national government and foreign interests' neoliberal agenda and the sustainable development agenda of the people of Oriental Mindoro articulated through the social movement. Most importantly, the struggle in Oriental Mindoro re-introduced, sharpened, and legitimated the local conceptualization and practice of development that is sustainable and people-centered.