DISPLACED VILLAGERS BACK TO WORK

DISPLACED VILLAGERS BACK TO WORK

MGB renews UK mining firm's

permit for Vizcaya exploration project

By CHARLIE C. LAGASCA

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya – The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has renewed the exploration permit of a British-owned mining firm which  temporarily stopped its government-authorized exploration activities late last month after it failed to secure the renewal before the lapse of the said permit, The STAR learned yesterday (8 Aug.).

 

Meanwhile, more than 100 local residents employed with MTL Philippines Inc., who were earlier temporarily terminated from work as a result of the stoppage are expected to return to work following the approval of the mining firm's exploration permit, including community teachers whose remunerations are being supported by it.

 

MTL Philippines Inc., which had been conducting an exploration project in Barangay Runruno in nearby Quezon town since 2005, was granted another two-year exploration permit by the said agency. The renewal came after the lapse of the firm's previous two-year exploration permit last July 25.

 

MGB national Director Horacio Ramos signed the foreign firms' exploration permit the other day (02 Aug), according to engineer Jerrysal Mangaong, MGB director for Cagayan Valley.    

 

Although nothing was mentioned about it, sources here speculated that the MGB's delay in issuing the renewal of exploration permit may have been due to a complaint letter of Gov. Luisa Lloren Cuaresma to then Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes pinpointing mining activities as one of the culprits in the occurrence of landslides and flash floods in the place last year. This was in addition to the previous lobbying by the Catholic Church-led anti-mining groups in the area.

 

"Like any government agency, MGB of course sent people to the place to investigate the real situation of the place," the source said.

 

Earlier, Cuaresma filed a letter-complaint to Reyes on the activities of MTL and seeking the revocation of its exploration permit, saying she was "convinced that the conduct of any mining activity would enhance the probability of another massive landslide in Quezon town."

 

However, geologists from the MGB's regional office based in Tuguegarao City, said the cause of last year's flashfloods and landslides was due to lack of natural vegetation and the place being a geological hazard, and not due to the ongoing exploration activities.

 

Mangaoang said that long-time illegal cutting of trees, kaingin farming and the dynamite-induced illegal small-scale mining were also attributed as contributory factors to last year's flashfloods in Runruno village, which is around 2 km. from this capital town.

 

Meanwhile, during and immediately before the stoppage, the barangay officials, supported by more than 1,500 residents of Runruno expressed support for MTL, citing the mining firm's many development projects and economic assistance to the village in terms of direct employment and other commercial transactions.

 

Even the municipal government of Quezon under Mayor Aurelio Salunat, a political ally of Cuaresma, had likewise shown its appreciation for what the MTL had done in terms of development projects and scholarships in technical courses for poor but deserving out-of-school youths or all those barangay residents willing to learn new marketable skills.

 

MTL executives were bullish about the prospects of gold, copper, molybdenum and other mineral deposits  in the area to be highly commercial in volume. They expect that in their second exploration phase they will be able to determine the commercial viability of their project.

 

Runruno, about two hours from this capital town, is a traditional mining village with many undocumented small-scale miners utilizing unregulated deadly explosives, which already resulted in the killing of undetermined numbers of illegal miners. The provincial government has been calling for the stoppage of their operations but instead their illegal activities mushroomed.  CCL