THE Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) has ordered three mining companies operating in Zambales to fast-track the rehabilitation of polluted water bodies, as well as farms and fishponds affected by their operations.
The companies were also ordered to build an exclusive mine road to their concessions.
At the same time, lNL Archipelago Minerals Inc., operator of Filipinas Mining Corp.; Benguet Corp Nickel Mines Inc.; and Eramen Minerals Inc. were ordered to compensate affected farm and fishpond owners.
Unless all the conditions set by the MGB are met, the three companies will remain suspended and will not be allowed to resume operation, MGB Director Leo Jasareno said.
“Of the conditions we have set, the construction of an exclusive mine road is a major consideration for the lifting of the suspension order,” Jasareno said.
The exclusive mine road, he said, should be used by the mining companies in hauling nickel ore from the mines to the port.
“They should use that road instead of the highway or the roads,” he said. Jasareno said the companies will have to spend for the construction of the at least 20-kilometer exlusive mine road.
He said a committee composed of representatives of the MGB, Environmental Management Bureau and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resoures is currently assessing the damage to the fishponds. “They [mining companies] must rehabilitate the damaged fishponds because compensation covers both the losses incurred and the fishponds which should be restored so that the owners can continue operation,” he said.
The damage to farms has been estimated at P3 million, he said. Jasareno explained that the hauling of nickel ore using huge dump trucks by the three mining companies damaged the Binalbayan Road, which is one of the issues raised by affected town residents.
“They need to substantially comply our conditions before we lift the suspension order,” he said.
The order came after a team from the MGB, which validated the compliance of the three nickel mines in Santa Cruz town with the conditions set by the temporary lifting orders (TLOs) imposed in February, recommended the continued suspension of their mining operations until all conditions are fully complied with.
The conditions in the TLOs include: 1) construction of an alternative mine-haulage road; 2) resolution of the alleged coastal destruction brought about by the mining operation; 3) full payment of the claims for compensation for damages of fishponds; 4) conduct of Sediment Flux Monitoring; 5) full rehabilitation of the adversely affected river systems; and 6) progressive rehabilitation of inactive mining areas to address the issue of large disturbed mining area.
The suspension orders (SO) were issued against the said mining companies on July 15 last year in response to the complaints of local residents, who denounced the nickel siltation of river systems, farmlands, fishponds and seashore.
On February 10 and 20, 2015, the MGB Regional Office in Central Luzon issued the TLOs after the mining companies showed substantial compliance with the conditions imposed under the SO.
Although there are ongoing actions on the part of the mining companies to comply with the conditions, the team recommended that they remain suspended until all conditions are fully complied with. The MGB will conduct another validation to assess the companies’ compliance of the same conditions.
The mining companies were ordered to submit their compliance report regarding the major conditions of the TLOs.
Aside from the rehabilitation of the polluted water bodies, the companies were also ordered to repair of the damaged Binabalyan Road.
The mining companies were told to initiate and hold consultation meetings with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), MGB Region 3 Office and affected communities to resolve the issues raised against them by the complainants, particularly on the dredging of the heavily silted river systems.