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KASIBU, Nueva Vizcaya: Residents here are revving
their anti-mining campaign once more against a foreign mining firm
and in support of the provincial government’s move to collect
local taxes from Oceana Gold Phils.
Earlier, provincial officials
trooped to Didipio to enforce the provincial government’s cease
and desist order on the quarrying activities of Oceana Gold.
As this developed, reports said
a convoy led by Gov. Luisa Lloren Cuaresma had been stopped by
company guards at a checkpoint leading to their monitoring base near
Oceana Gold’s quarry site.
Representatives of the provincial
Environment and Natural Resources office led by their head Francisco
Tolentino were earlier prevented from going to their monitoring post
near the quarry site of Oceana Gold, when trucks from one of Oceana
Gold’s subcontractors poured piles of ruble along the way, forcing
Tolentino and his men to hike the remaining distance to their post.
“This may be interpreted as an
attempt by the company to prevent implementation of the provincial
government’s cease and desist order and it would dealt with
accordingly,” Tolentino said.
Oceana Gold security however said
they were only following orders from the management.
In reaction to the said action of
Oceana Gold, Cuaresma and other provincial government officials as
well as a contingent of capitol security guards returned to Didipio
to beef up the team manning the provincial government’s base.
Didipio, where the multibillion
gold-copper project is located, is about three hours from Nueva
Vizcaya’s capital town of Bayombong. Earlier exploration
activities indicated that the remote mountain village is rich in
copper, gold and other minerals for commercial operations.
--Francis C. Hidalgo Jr.
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