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AN
OFFICIAL of the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (DENR) reiterated Tuesday that the decision to
allow Lafayette Philippines Inc. (LPI) to operate the
Rapu-Rapu Polymetallic Project on Rapu-Rapu Island in
Albay province was based on sound science and
transparency.
DENR
Acting Secretary Francisco Bravo said experts had
conducted a thorough investigation during the 120-day
test-run of Lafayette, which was also subjected to
third-party evaluation.
“Our men
from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) and
Environment and Management Bureau (EMB) in Region V were
there 24 hours a day, seven days a week throughout the
test-run, strictly monitoring and ensuring the
compliances to all the conditions set by the Pollution
Adjudication Board (PAB),” Bravo said.
Meanwhile, Albay and Sorsogon provinces expect hundreds
of jobs and new business opportunities to be generated
by the resumption of operations of Lafayette’s Rapu Rapu
Polymetallic Project last week.
Various
leaders from the two provinces have thanked DENR
Secretary Angelo Reyes for allowing the restart after
the project had fully complied with all the conditions
the government had imposed, most of them meant to
protect the environment.
Separate
letters thanking Reyes, Rep. Carlos Imperial, Albay Gov.
Fernando Gonzalez, Sorsogon Gov. Raul Lee and Sorsogon
City Mayor Sally Lee said the region badly needs this
growth catalyst after being battered by three successive
strong typhoons late last year.
They
also said they would continue to be vigilant to make
sure the company, the region’s biggest investor, stays
the course of responsible mining which Imperial said is
“the balance between business and environmental
interests.”
Bravo
said the test run was made open to the public. A total
of 66 groups or over 200 individuals from the academe,
local government units, media, nongovernment
organizations, religious, business and professional
groups visited the site to observe the test run, Bravo
added.
For its
part, LPI commissioned engineer Marcelo Bolano, a
renowned dam design expert in the mining industry, to
determine the integrity of the tailings dam of the
Rapu-Rapu mine, Bravo said.
He added
that Dr. Carlos Primo David of the University of the
Philippines, one of the third-party experts commissioned
to review the acid mine drainage plan of the mine, was
satisfied by the improvements made by the company after
the two incidents in October 11 and 31 in 2005.
Process
experts from the Metallurgical Society of the
Philippines, engineer Paterno Inginiero Jr. and Jake
Foronda, were also commissioned to review the milling
process employed by the company, including the
efficiency of its detoxification system.
The
third-party experts submitted their report to the PAB,
which served as one of the bases for the decision to
allow LPI to resume commercial operations.
“All
monitoring, investigations and evaluations taken by the
DENR personnel and third-party experts are documented.
The public can check them. We have nothing to hide,”
Bravo said.
Bravo
was reacting to an earlier statement made by Sorsogon
Bishop Arthur Bastes, head of the Rapu-Rapu Fact Finding
Commission which recommended the mine’s permanent
closure. He said a copy of the report had been furnished
Bastes the same day the DENR announced its decision
lifting its suspension order.
According to Bravo, DENR Secretary Angelo Reyes agreed
to provide Bastes with all technical reports that served
as bases for the PAB decision. |
