SC upholds ruling that Erice-linked mining firm is liable for violating ECC. InterAksyon.comThe online news portal of TV5 MANILA, Philippines -- The Supreme Court has dismissed the petition filed by a mining firm formerly headed by Liberal Party stalwart Caloocan City Rep.
Edgar Erice after finding out that the company, operating in Barangay La Fraternidad, Tubay, Agusan del Norte, had violated the conditions set forth in its environmental compliance certificate (ECC), which was issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). In its ruling penned by Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo and made available to the media on Wednesday, the Supreme Court's Second Division denied the petitions filed SR Metals Inc (SRMI), San R Mining and Construction Corp., and Galeo Equipment Mining Corp. Maguindanao tribes demand end to 'illegal mining' in communities. InterAksyon.comThe online news portal of TV5 MANILA, Philippines -- At least 19 clans belonging to the Teduray and Lambangian tribes of Maguindanao province are demanding an end to what they call “illegal mining exploration” in their communities.
Leyte townsfolk seek end to black sand mining but environment exec downplays gripes. InterAksyon.comThe online news portal of TV5 MCARTHUR, Leyte -- Residents of three villages in McArthur town, Leyte are demanding a stop to black sand mining in their community, citing the ill effects on their health and livelihoods, and saying their consent was never sought by the local government and other agencies.
Malacañang steps into Marinduque deal with mining company. Whether the invitation is for a simple luncheon or a meeting to seek “legal advice” from the Palace, the national government has apparently stepped into the continuing negotiation between Marinduque and the mining company sued over the 1996 tailing spillage, now considered the country’s worst mining tragedy.
The entire provincial board of Marinduque, a fourth-class island-province (annual income: P180 million-P270 million), will be flying to Malacañang in Manila on Wednesday to discuss the $20-million indemnity being offered by Barrick Gold, the company that absorbed Marcopper Mining Corp. and its parent company, Placer Dome Inc.
Marcopper used to operate in Marinduque until it was shut down due to the toxic spill. In 2006, the province filed a $100-million damage suit against the mining firm in a district court in Nevada. Payloader scoops up baby, 3 others as Samar residents protest extractive mining in their barangay. Details Category: Regions 13 Aug 2013 FOUR residents protesting the continued operation of a mining company in their barangay in Eastern Samar were scooped by a payloader and shaken for 10 minutes while they were airborne.
Among those shaken was a year-old baby who was being carried by the mother in her arms. SC berates government for lack of data on mining firms' budget for environment. InterAksyon.comThe online news portal of TV5 MANILA - "The data submitted to this Court gives no comfort that the succession of this country is being cared for sufficiently.
" That was Chief Justice Ma. SC allows mining group through ex-Chief Justice Puno to join mining debate. Former Chief Justice Reynato Puno.
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO. Ifugao lawmaker vows to re-file alternative mining bill. MANILA -- Reelected Ifugao Representative Teddy Brawner Baguilat Jr. on Monday vowed to re-file an alternative mining bill in the 16th Congress.
The bill, once approved, will be more responsive to the needs of host communities and sensitive to the environment, the lawmaker allied with the Aquino administration said. "The new mining law will be a very important agenda in the next Congress," he said. The lawmaker said his proposed Alternative Minerals Management Bill (AMMB) also seeks to repeal the Mining Act of 1995 because mining communities and adjacent areas have been devastated by ecological disasters, health problems, decreasing agricultural productivity and loss of biodiversity. In Baguilat's proposal, excise taxes on mined products will be raised, as well as royalties to indigenous peoples (IP) as the majority of mining claims are in ancestral domains. Manobos seek P150-M payment from mining firm for ‘desecration’ of sacred sites. CABANGAHAN, Cantilan, Surigao del Sur (MindaNews/15 April) – A group of Manobo tribesmen has blocked a road in this barangay for over a week now to demand payment for the alleged desecration of their sacred sites by Marcventures Mining and Development Corporation (MMDC), paralyzing the nickel mining firm’s soil extraction operations.
Datu Jimmy “Dagsaan” Bat-ao said the Bat-ao and Hunahunan clans want MMDC out of their ancestral lands and to pay them damages amounting to P150 million for the desecration of their burial grounds and other sacred places and the destruction of their main water source. MMDC vice president for operations Jegie T. Pereda said the company was “considering filing cases against those responsible for the barricade.”
Gov't hikes capital requirement, fees for new mining applicants. InterAksyon.comThe online news portal of TV5 MANILA - The government has raised the bar for mining companies by imposing higher capital requirements and increasing five-fold the cost of the permits.
Under Administrative Order No. 2013-10, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) said applicants for exploration permits (EP), mineral agreements (MA) or financial or technical assistance agreements (FTAA) should pay P300 per hectare, up from the previous fee of P60. Murdered mining activist knew he and two others would be killed. Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAC-120-2012 4 July 2012 ------------------------------------------------------ PHILIPPINES: Murdered mining activist knew he and two others would be killed ISSUES: Extrajudicial killing; human rights defenders; threats and intimidation ------------------------------------------------------ STOP EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS ------------------------------------------------------ Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has obtained further details that an activist who was murdered on May 1, 2012 for opposing illegal mining operation in Salcedo, Eastern Samar, knew of the plan that he and two others would be killed.
Statistically Speaking...By Dr. Romulo A. Virola Can Gold Mining Revitalize the Mining Industry? Or Should it? Can Gold Mining Revitalize the Mining Industry? Or Should it? By Dr. Romulo A. Causes / Support the Philippine Mineral Resources Act of 2012. Support the Philippine Mineral Resources Act of 2012. Mining project gains ground support » Nation » News. MBC to step in to save mining project's benefits » Nation » News. International and local experts lambast SMI consultants. Press ReleaseSeptember 26, 2011 International and local experts lambast SMI consultantsSay Tampakan mining project has high potential for loss of life and environmental damage Koronadal City—International and local experts critiqued the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) of the Tampakan Mine Project in a public forum held at the South Cotabato gymnasium and Cultural Center, last September 23.
Fr. ZamboNorte to replicate S. Cotabato ban on open-pit mining » PECOJON Philippines Online Magazine. DIPOLOG CITY, Southern Philippines — Mineral-rich Zamboanga del Norte is poised to follow the footsteps of South Cotabato in banning open-pit and open-cut land surface mining within the province. This developed as anti-mining groups in Midsalip town, Zamboanga del Sur, vowed to continue blocking the conduct of minerals exploration in the frontier town’s hinterland villages despite facing a lawsuit for their actions. “It is ironic that we are the ones being sued. In this struggle to preserve our community’s livelihood base, we are in the defensive,” Jose Catamco of the local environment group Alliance to Save the Integrity of Nature (ASIN) said in a phone interview. Catamco and nine others are facing charges for derailing the exploration activities of the Geotechniques and Minerals Inc.
Tampakan Gold Copper Project. The Tampakan copper gold mine is located in the Southern Philippines, about 50km north of General Santos City on the island of Mindanao. It is the largest undeveloped copper-gold resource in the South-East Asia Western-Pacific region. The mine is operated by Sagittarius Mines and is owned 62.5% by Xstrata and 37.5% by Indophil. Title to the deposit is held under a financial and technical assistance agreement (FTAA) with the Philippines government, which has agreed to take a pre-determined share of the project cash flow, on payment of the development capital. The $5.9bn Tampakan mining project is the single largest foreign direct investment in Philippines. Tampakan Mining Project: Prelude to a Disaster? Business - $5.9-B Tampakan mine project still on track - INQUIRER.net. GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines? Despite numerous snags, the $5.9-billion Tampakan copper-gold mine project can still start commercial operations by 2016, but only if all necessary permits and approvals are secured within this year.
In a briefing here yesterday, Patrick Duffy, finance, commercial and administration manager at Tampakan project proponent Sagittarius Mines Inc. Supposed benefits from Mindanao mining project questioned. Tampakan Mining Project: Bridging the Gap between Poverty and Prosperity » Nation » News. Mining firms see more gold at Tampakan. The Tampakan Copper and Gold Project: Whose mine is it anyway? Sagittarius Mines Inc. general manager Mark Williams said the company had already spent more than US$360 million on the initial development of the US$5.9 billion Tampakan Copper and Gold Project.
When allowed to go to commercial production, the mining project will reportedly contribute an average of one percent to the annual gross domestic product of the Philippines, which also is 10 percent of Mindanao’s GDP, according to one David Pearce, executive for Australia’s Center for International Economics. The Tampakan project will reportedly have a mine life of up to 25 years. Trouble is: the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (Denr) recently rejected the company’s bid to obtain a vital environment compliance certificate (ECC) which would have allowed Sagittarius Mines Inc to meet its 2016 target start for commercial production.
Sagittarius Encounters Tampakan Road Block. Tampakan mine operator expects to pay $7.2B in taxes. Indophil Resources NL to push Tampakan gold project. Davao del Sur gov endorses SMI mining project in Tampakan. DIGOS CITY—Davao del Sur Gov. Mindanao business leaders ask gov’t to allow implementation of Tampakan project. Xstrata local unit to pursue $5.9BTampakan mine despite setbacks. By: Orti Despuez, Interaksyon.com February 10, 2012 3:57 PM InterAksyon.com means BUSINESS.