Lutopan Mining 

By: Janella Varias & Briana Aguas F-9H

Where is Lutopan?

• Lutopan is a hilly barangay in Toledo City. It is about 44 kilometers from Cebu City. It's nearby cities areGuihulngan City, Negros Oriental,Sagay City, Negros Occidental,Cadiz City, & Negros Occidental.

History of Lutopan

• It is officially known as DAS. {Don Andres Soriano} He is the founder of the copper mines. In the 1960s-1980s the place saw progress mainly through the Atlas Mining operations, which closed down in 1991. It had a hospital facility comparable to those of Cebu City in terms of quality. It also has a La Salle-supervised private school {now Andres Soriano Memorial College} that used to be subsidized by the company.
• Although the shutting down of mining operations in early 1990s greatly affected the place, it continues to be one of the most populated areas of Toledo. Skilled workers from the mine have found ways to find other jobs, many of them working overseas. At present, rehabilitation is ongoing for the planned reopening of the mining company.

This was Lutopan before Carmen Corporation started mining:

And now...

The effects of Lutopan mining to our community:

1. It destroys forests.
2. Cutting down of trees. {This will gain a huge impact to the ecosystem's ecological succession}
3. More carbon dioxide is released, thus causing air pollution.
4. Animals loose their homes.
5. The burning of fossil fuels will be dangerous to the health of humans. 
6. Water may be contaminated and when people will drink it, they will be poisoned.   

The effects of Copper:

1. If copper is left untreated, it can disrupt soil activity which will lead to habitat destruction.
2. It can gather in plants and animals when it is found in soils.
3. When animals absorb concentrations of copper, it damages their health.

And where does the money go?

• It goes to the people who destroyed our community. Isn't it unfair? The amount of money is enough to pay the Philippine debt on the world market, but it goes right in their pockets. The Philippines' mineral resources are worth P54.5 trillion, which could possibly pay the country's large foreign debt. 

Lessons we learned:

1. It is important to maintain stability so that we can live in a harmonious society with equality. {The same is for our ecosystem. Without balance, our ecosystems could collapse.}
2. We have to value not just those that benefit us, but even negative relationships in the ecosystem. Without these connections, our species and other organisms cannot develop or grow
3. The next generation will not have a bright future if we would not preserve our environment. Overexploitation of mineral resources can lead to big consequences.

What the society can do:

• Passing on the message.
• Inform government officials to enforce & reform the Philippine Mining Law.
• Maintain equilibrium. 

SUMMARY 

We therefore conclude that mining has a lot of bad effects to our environment. We must work together to bring back all the reckless & destruction many heartless people made to our community. Not only the people will suffer, but also the whole ecosystem. The animals will have a hard time to adapt to different surroundings. Destroying the environment is not a leisure. There are so many different things to be thankful for, and one is our home; planet Earth. Let's join hands and together, let's make the world a better place.