Court halts China-bound $2.6-M shipment

A temporary restraining order (TRO)  was issued by a Manila court stopping  a conglomerate from transporting thousand of tons of mineral ores to China. The conglomerate stands accused of “illegally extracting” the ores from a property   in Camarines Norte.

Based on documents obtained from the court, the Regional Court of Manila issued the hold order on July 3, 2013 after Yinlu Bicol Mining Corporation (Yinlu) filed a petition for injunction and mandamus against officials of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau Regional Office 5 (MGB Region 5) in Legaspi City, Albay; the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), the Bureau of Customs and two companies belonging to the Investwell Group of Co.’s (IGC), Investwell Resources Inc. (IRI) and Investwell Mineral Development Corp. (IMDC) together with the group’s chair, Malaysian Yii Ann Hii.