The Half-Life of the Land: Uranium, Extractive Specters, and the Curatorial Counter-Alchemy of Philippine Art
The Half-Life of the Land: Uranium, Extractive Specters, and the Curatorial Counter-Alchemy of Philippine Art Amiel Gerald A. Roldan™ October 1, 2026 In the late September light of 2026, Filipino scientists from the Department of Science and Technology–Philippine Nuclear Research Institute and the University of the Philippines Diliman, working with colleagues from Akita University, announced the identification of uranium-bearing minerals—chiefly uraninite—in surface samples taken from a narrow mineralized zone in Barangay Bessemer, Larap, Jose Panganiban, Camarines Norte. Laboratory pre-concentration raised the uranium content from 244 parts per million to 305 ppm, with recovery rates near three-quarters. The finding was carefully caveated: surface only, further drilling required, economic significance still unproven, environmental and community assessments still ahead. Yet the announcement arrived already freighted with older desires and older fears. It entered a national conver...
