Mining, Women and Development In my reflection paper on the first mining forum, "Harnessing Mineral Resources For Sustainable

Development: Stakeholder's Meeting on Mining," I was already able to state how mining is as a quintessential element present in our lives; how it is present even during the earliest periods found in human history. Aside from that, we were also able to define hat mining is and said that, "mining is the process of extracting minerals from the earth, and it follows a cycle of operations of rock brokerage and materials handling." In addition to that, we further discussed and scrutinize its presence in various scenarios. First on the list is that of mining as part of the business world, and by saying business, this means that its primary purpose is to gain profits. But by business, we also said that it provides business opportunities and definitely income to those who belong in the mining industry such as the engineers who lays out the excavation plan, geologists who mostly do the research in various potential areas, the miners who do the manual labor of digging and extracting, and everyone else who contributes to the mining industry. Second, we also discussed the importance of the mining industry when it comes to the functionality of other types of industries. We discussed the advantages that other industries get from the results of mining. This includes the ability to create various infrastructures and machineries using the extracted steel. In here, we were also able to state some of the minerals and their importance and role in our everyday lives such as that of gold which we use in making jewelry and also in dentistry. Third, we talked about the various benefits that we get from the final products brought about by the extracted minerals that we, humans, have in hand. This includes the idea that we could no longer forego these benefits (such as the security and benefits provided by infrastructures and the technological benefits provided by various gadgets and appliances) and how we could not possibly survive without them. Besides, I also know for sure that we would never want to go back to the times "when things that are possible now were impossible before." Fourth, I stated in my previous mining reflection paper that mining is something that is considered positive and that most issues that contradict this idea are mostly environmental concerns. Other than that, I explain how this common connotation is definitely misleading. I also talked about people's greed because of the continuous demands that they make that only mining could provide and their continuous nagging about mining being negative and how we should be stopping this. And in conclusion to my first mining reflection paper, I reinstated the thoughts of mining experts that minerals being mined in the Philippines are just like oil to the Middle East. Going back to the purpose of this paper which is writing my reflection about the previously held mining forum called "Mining, Women and Development," let us discuss the

effect of the mining industry to women and also development, as suggested by the forum's name. First and foremost, I know that there is no need for us to define what the word 'women' mean because to most people it just pertains to the female counterpart of the 'man.' But what do we really know about women and their role in various mining communities and in the mining industry as a whole. Basically, in the forum it was discussed how little the role is of women when it comes to mining. They're not consulted when making various types of decisions such as in negotiations about the access to land and the compensations and benefits that the indigenous families are to get. When we say compensations and benefits that indigenous families get, this means that for whatever contribution that women give (such as providing food and clean water to the workers), the men in their families accept it on their behalf. Women are thought to be inferior compared to men and thus, they face discrimination. They're safety are also put at risks since the work force is consists mostly of the male populace. Aside from being unrecognized for their contributions, women have poor working conditions and unfair compensation, as well. And this is where the virtue of respect comes in. during the forum, the significance and the need of this virtue (respect) is discussed. After all, respect is what makes things flow in the right place; if people respect one another may they be in their mining bubble or out in the real world, things are bound to be better. When it comes to the field of development, mining is undeniably positive both for the indigenous communities involved and the economy of the whole country. According to the business dictionary, "development is the systematic use of scientific and technical knowledge to meet specific objectives or requirements." As stated in my first mining reflection paper, I discussed the effect of mining in the lives of the indigenous community involved and we can see that the mining industry is not just lucrative but also sensible to the needs of the community. We can also say that the prime subject continuously discussed in the recent mining forum, mining being positive or negative also depends on the responsibility not only of those people directly involved in the process of mining but also the people who patronizes and benefits from the results of mining. It involves being socially responsible citizens and at the same time also being sensible of the different kinds of things happening around us. After attending the two mining forums, I will still say that mining is something good. Mining is the process of extracting minerals from the soil by following various steps of the mining cycle. It is also the process of providing livelihood opportunities to various types of people and helping the country in its economic development. It is the process of taking good respecting women although the contributions of these women are often left unnoticed. And most of all, mining is the process of being responsible not only in ones decisions but also actions.