Capital interests: A historical analysis of the transformation of small-scale gold mining in Compostela Valley province, Southern Philippines

Abstract

In line with trends observed in several other countries, small-scale gold mining in Compostela Valley (ComVal) province has expanded immensely, and now boasts a high number of more advanced i.e. more capitalized and mechanized operations that push the edge of what is usually considered artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). A historical, fieldwork-based analysis is presented of the diverse factors underlying the current situation. It is argued that existing accounts of ASM-expansion, by focusing disproportionately on the role of poverty in pushing people into ASM, fail to satisfactorily account for the state of gold mining in ComVal. Whereas this poverty-driven narrative may well explain the constant supply of mining recruits, it risks obscuring how for certain groups, ASM harbors important opportunities for capital accumulation. More specifically, the increased engagement in gold mining on the part of a heterogeneous class of mining financiers enabled ASM to evolve from rudimentary into relatively mechanized operations with highly complex working practices and revenue sharing arrangements. The nascent gold mining elite has entrenched itself in a regulatory environment amenable to the further expansion of gold mining. These observations suggest that more critical attention should be paid to the ‘capital interests’ driving similar transformations of ASM elsewhere.