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By Larry Madarang, Correspondent
KASIBU, Nueva Vizcaya: Tension
mounts at Didipio gold and copper mines as Gov. Luisa Lloren
Cuaresma ordered provincial authorities to stop quarrying
activities at the mine site Wednesday morning.
Members of the provincial
Environment and Natural Resources office and Philippine National
Police flagged down and commandeered dump trucks of CCF Co.,
stopping operations here.
CCF Co. was commissioned by
Oceana Gold Phils. for hauling and excavation works during the site
preparation of the mining area.
Oceana Gold started to conduct
earth-moving activities on Tuesday citing that they have to
construct siltation ponds and make gabions for slope protection in
critical areas within and outside the mining area to address
environmental repercussions with the onset of the rainy season.
On Monday, the provincial
Environment and Natural Resources officer tried to stop the company
from conducting mitigating measures such as slope protection and
building siltation ponds.
Lucy Exconde, environment manager
of Oceana Gold, argued that if the provincial government will not
allow the backhoes and dump trucks to operate, municipalities
belonging to Quirino province might suffer from silt coming from
Didipio.
On Tuesday, the mining company
continued its operations, which reportedly caught the ire of the
governor who called for a dialogue on Tuesday afternoon.
There was no resolution despite
the dialogue.
Oceana Gold said it has to
immediately address environmental concerns, as it fears that with
the onset of the rainy season, silt would run downstream if no earth
movement happens.
In a letter dated April 9, 2008,
the Office of the Governor of Nueva Viscaya issued a cease and
desist order directing Delta Corp. and Oceana Gold Phils. “to
cease and desist from their ongoing quarrying activities in the
Didipio Gold-Copper Project immediately upon receipt of this order
and is further instructed not to resume its operations on site
without proper instructions from this office.”
On Tuesday, Cuaresma stood pat
and said no to quarrying until the mining company pays the
provincial government “quarrying taxes.”
However, in a letter dated April
22 to Cuaresma, Environment Secretary Jose Atienza Jr. said,
“pursuant to Section 48 of the Philippine Mining Act of 1995, a
financial or technical assistance agreement contractor has the right
to extract and remove sand and gravel and other loose materials
without need of a permit.”
Cabbaruguis, Quirino Mayor Dave
Longid in an earlier interview with The Manila Times said, “Let us
talk first about the environment, then we settle boundary issues
before we discuss financial matters.”
“We must look into the welfare
of our constituents first,” he stressed, referring to Cuaresma’s
decision to issue a cease and desist order.
The mayor noted that Cabbaruguis
would be greatly affected by quarrying activities in Didipio.
Cabbaruguis is a downstream
municipality near the Didipio Gold-Copper Project that is dependent
on farming.
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