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KASIBU, Nueva Vizcaya: “Let us talk first about the environment,
then we settle boundary issues before we discuss financial matters,”
stressed Cabbaruguis, Quirino Mayor Dave Longid in an interview with
The Manila Times over the weekend.
Primarily, Cabbaruguis will be greatly affected
with all earth movement happening in the Didipio, the Mayor said.
Cabbaruguis is a downstream municipality from
the Didipio Gold-Copper project of Oceana Gold Philippines at
Didipio where farming is the main source of livelihood.
Longid said we must first look into the
environmental impacts and the mitigating measures the company will
offer before we talk about the financial aspect of the project.
Another thing is the project site still has its
boundary issues, and based on old maps, sitio Didipio is part of
Cabbaruguis, said the Mayor, reacting to earlier statements of Nueva
Vizcaya Gov. Luisa Lloren Cuaresma in her claim to stop Oceana Gold
from operating until it has paid the province appropriate quarry
fees.
So far as the matters on financial concerns,
Longid said, “I challenge all local government units covered by
the project that they agree on an escrow account for all financial
obligations that Oceana Gold will be giving and instead, we first
talk on environmental matters that would affect our communities.”
Let us also keep in mind that there are legal
boundaries issues when it comes to the mine site, with an escrow
account, all financial obligations of Oceana Gold are safely
deposited while we discuss and settle these disputes for proper
sharing among the affected local government units, he averred.
Earlier on Friday, during the consultations
conducted between Mining and Geosciences Bureau Dir. Horacio Morales
and the provincial government, Cuaresma declared withdrawal of
support for mining operations within the province.
-- Larry Madarang
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