Thursday, December 06, 2007
Protest against Lafayette mining heats up
Albay board to review memorandum of agreement between Australian firm and provincial govtProtest against Lafayette mining heats up
By Rhaydz B. Barcia, Correspondent
Legazpi City: Finally the provincial government of Albay agreed to reinvestigate the fish kill incident off the shores of Rapu-Rapu a month ago and finally settle the issue.
The move came following the appeal made by the villagers from Rapu-Rapu when they stormed the session hall of the Sanguniang Panlalawigan of Albay on Wednesday.
Board Member Raul Borejon, committee on appropriation chairman, urged his colleagues to conduct a reinvestigation of the case that a closure may be reached on the controversial issue.
For his part, Board Member Niel Montallana pushed his colleagues to scrutinize the memorandum of agreement entered into between the provincial government and Lafayette Mining Ltd. during the incumbency of former Albay governor Al Francis Bichara, now a member of the House of Representatives (from the second congressional district of Albay).
Vice-Gov. Brando Sael who relinquished his chair during the session told the protesters and pro-environmentalists to allow due process. “Even though, we’re doing our part in closing down the operation of Lafayette, we still have procedures to follow,” he explained. “We’re also checking if Lafayette was really paying their share to the government’s coffer.” A month ago, Sael passed a resolution for the permanent closure of the mining firm.
Sael also asked Borejon to allocate funds and commission a study of the fish kill in Rapu-Rapu. “We need an independent body to conduct a scientific study and come up with impartial findings because I’m not convinced with the BFAR and DENR findings,” Sael added.
Meanwhile, some 500 villagers from Rapu-Rapu had set up camp in front of the Albay Provincial Capitol demanding that the Australian-owned Lafayette Mining Ltd. be closed down permanently. Likewise, the protesters are demanding compensation for mining-affected communities.
Members of these communities arrived at the Legazpi City pier for a weeklong Kampong Bayan (People’s Camp) in front of the Albay Capitol organized by civic organizations.
Umalpas Ka-Bikol and Sagip Isla Sagip Kapwa, an island-wide environmental organization of Rapu-Rapu residents, jointly organized the Kampong Bayan to be held until December 12. The camp activities will feature a nonstop program filled with daily prayer rallies, speeches of solidarity, discussions, workshops, dialogues, and cultural presentations.
This is the second Kampong Bayan and the fourth protest activity by the villagers of Rapu-Rapu following a fish kill that hit at least five barangays after the heavy rains on October 28, 2007.
Despite denials from Lafayette, the DENR and the BFAR, villagers believe the fish kill is due to the mine operations. Lafayette previously sustained two mine tailing incidents on October 11 and 31 in 2005, causing fish kills in nearby waters and affecting thousands of fisher folk in Albay and Sorsogon.
As this developed, Manila-based environmentalists urged the public to support the Kampong Bayan in Bicol. “We exhort all defenders of the environment and national patrimony to extend material, financial, and moral support for the Kampong Bayan initiated against Lafayette Mining Limited,” Clemente Bautista Jr., National Coordinator for Kalikasan-Philippine Network for the Environment said.
Lafayette Mining Ltd. on Monday announced that it would be indefinitely extending the trading halt on its shares in the Australian Stock Exchange soon after a major investor pulled out of the project early this week.
“The financial losses of Lafayette’s foreign shareholders pale in comparison to the losses sustained by thousands of residents in Rapu-Rapu. Around 16,500 of Rapu-Rapu’s 19,000 fisher-folk residents were affected in terms of losses in livelihood,” Antonio Casitas of the Sagip Isla movement said.
Bautista and Casitas urged Albay Gov. Joey Salceda, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, and local government officials to uphold the recommendations of the Rapu-Rapu Fact-Finding Commission headed by Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes.
It also recommended that the mining in Rapu-Rapu be subjected to a moratorium and that existing Mineral Production and Sharing Agreements in the island be suspended pending scientific and expert’s favorable resolution on the issue of ecological conservation and the acid mine drainage problem.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Albay Governor Opposes New Lafayette Exploration
Governor Opposes New Lafayette Exploration
Published Date: 12-09-2007
By Rhaydz B. Barcia Correspondent, Manila Times 12th September 2007
Legazpi City: The provincial government of Albay has strongly opposed the new exploration of Lafayette Philippines Inc. (LPI) in the island of Rapu-Rapu, Albay.Gov. Joey Salceda of Albay warned the officials of the Environmental Management Bureau and Mine-Geosciences Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources against granting any new permit to explore mining prospects anywhere in Albay.
Salceda, who had strongly opposed mining in Rapu-Rapu, noted that the host communities of the mining operations hardly benefited from the activity.
"There is simply no evidence of widespread benefit to the people from mining operations," said Salceda. "Instead, the risks to the environment are becoming abundantly clear," he added.
Salceda cited reports of unscrupulous speculators attempting to exploit Albay's natural resources and deprive Albayanos of their rightful share.Cecile Calleja, LPI vice-president for corporation affairs told The Manila Times that they don't have a new application but are currently doing exploration in areas approved by MPSA.
"We don't have new application. We're doing exploration in areas we already have an MPSA since the law requires us to do so within a specified time frame." Calleja said.
The Manila Times tried to get the side of DENR officials in Bicol regarding the reported new exploration contested by Salceda but to no avail. Sulpicio Bernardo, officer in charge of the Mines and Geo-science Bureau, was busy entertaining a phone call, according to an employee while directors Rey Juan of the DENR regional office and Engr. Gilbert Gonzalez, director of EMB were in Manila.
The project has a potential life of eight years with a planned annual production of 10,000 tons of copper in concentrates; 14,000 tons on zinc concentrates; 50,000 ounces of gold and 600,000 ounces of silver annually with mine leases covering 180 hectares in the eastern side of Rapu-Rapu.
The project is an open pit mine focused on the Ungay-Malobago ore body where about six million tons of ore are to be mined.Early this year, the Rapu-Rapu Mining operation was able to ship copper concentrates abroad.
The first shipment was 805 tons of copper concentrate with a market value of $1.8 million and the second was 705 metric tons with a market value of $1.1 million. The third shipment is zinc, approximately 1,600 metric tons for Korea.Manuel Agcaoili, Rapu-Rapu Processing Inc. president said that during the four-month test run, they were able to ship at least 1,510 tons of copper concentrate to China.
Lafayette began its mining operations in April 2005, six months after two mine tailings spills occurred on October 11 and 31 causing fish kills in Albay Gulf. Opposition to the mining operations has not heeded.
Published Date: 12-09-2007
By Rhaydz B. Barcia Correspondent, Manila Times 12th September 2007
Legazpi City: The provincial government of Albay has strongly opposed the new exploration of Lafayette Philippines Inc. (LPI) in the island of Rapu-Rapu, Albay.Gov. Joey Salceda of Albay warned the officials of the Environmental Management Bureau and Mine-Geosciences Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources against granting any new permit to explore mining prospects anywhere in Albay.
Salceda, who had strongly opposed mining in Rapu-Rapu, noted that the host communities of the mining operations hardly benefited from the activity.
"There is simply no evidence of widespread benefit to the people from mining operations," said Salceda. "Instead, the risks to the environment are becoming abundantly clear," he added.
Salceda cited reports of unscrupulous speculators attempting to exploit Albay's natural resources and deprive Albayanos of their rightful share.Cecile Calleja, LPI vice-president for corporation affairs told The Manila Times that they don't have a new application but are currently doing exploration in areas approved by MPSA.
"We don't have new application. We're doing exploration in areas we already have an MPSA since the law requires us to do so within a specified time frame." Calleja said.
The Manila Times tried to get the side of DENR officials in Bicol regarding the reported new exploration contested by Salceda but to no avail. Sulpicio Bernardo, officer in charge of the Mines and Geo-science Bureau, was busy entertaining a phone call, according to an employee while directors Rey Juan of the DENR regional office and Engr. Gilbert Gonzalez, director of EMB were in Manila.
The project has a potential life of eight years with a planned annual production of 10,000 tons of copper in concentrates; 14,000 tons on zinc concentrates; 50,000 ounces of gold and 600,000 ounces of silver annually with mine leases covering 180 hectares in the eastern side of Rapu-Rapu.
The project is an open pit mine focused on the Ungay-Malobago ore body where about six million tons of ore are to be mined.Early this year, the Rapu-Rapu Mining operation was able to ship copper concentrates abroad.
The first shipment was 805 tons of copper concentrate with a market value of $1.8 million and the second was 705 metric tons with a market value of $1.1 million. The third shipment is zinc, approximately 1,600 metric tons for Korea.Manuel Agcaoili, Rapu-Rapu Processing Inc. president said that during the four-month test run, they were able to ship at least 1,510 tons of copper concentrate to China.
Lafayette began its mining operations in April 2005, six months after two mine tailings spills occurred on October 11 and 31 causing fish kills in Albay Gulf. Opposition to the mining operations has not heeded.
Mining Emits greenhouse gases
Philippines: Mining emits greenhouse gases
Conference on climate change to discuss its risks and potential impact to the country
Source: Copyright 2007, Manilla Times Date: October 22, 2007
By Rhaydz B. Barcia
Mining industries are a major source of greenhouse gases which pollute the environment, as Gilbert Gonzales, regional director of the Environment Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Bicol explained.
“Mining operations are major emitters of greenhouse gases to the environment because of the chemicals they’re using,” Gonzales said. The EMB was tasked to monitor compliance of environmentally critical projects used with ECCs. In Albay province there are two major mining companies such as Lafayette Philippines Inc. (LPI), located in the island town of Rapu-Rapu and Camalig GoodFound Cement Factory in the town of Camalig.
These two mining companies were both penalized by the DENR for violations of Environmental Compliance Certificate. The DENR slapped the Good Found Cement Corp. with a fine of P350,000 for violations of seven conditions out of the 42 stated in the ECC for quarry operation and establishment of the cement manufacturing plant.
Ibalong Resources Development Corp., owned by Taiwanese Chuang Teng Ko, operates the cement plant company. In 2003, the plant quarried limestone and clay with a total sales value of P1.91 million and produced 5.7 million bags of cement valued at P291.5 million.
The plant site was once agricultural land planted with coconuts and other farm crops but converted into industrial use. Meanwhile, the Rapu-Rapu Polymetallic Project was also slapped with more than P10 million in penalties and suspended its operation for almost a year following two consecutive toxic spillages in October 2005. According to fishermen from Barangay Binosawan, the waste tailings spillage incidents made their catch dwindle from 70 blue marlins a year to 20 in 2005 and 2006.
The Rapu-Rapu Polymetallic Project is among the 24 priority mineral development projects under the Arroyo administration. The project cost is pegged at P1.8 billion or $33,509,812 million.
The project has a potential mine life of eight years with a planned annual production of 10,000 tons of copper in concentrates, 14,000 tons on zinc concentrates, 50,000 ounces of gold and 600,000 ounces of silver annually with mine leases covering 180 hectares in the eastern side of the island town of Rapu-Rapu.
Gov. Joey Salceda of Albay pioneered the prototype campaign on environment dubbed as “Albay in Action Against Climate Change” and part of his priority program is the prohibition of open pit mining and burning to dispose of garbage especially plastics to avert greenhouse gas emission.
However, LPI is practicing open pit mining in Rapu-Rapu and in Camalig, which contradicts the program of Salceda. The current project is an open pit mine focused on the Ungay-Malobago ore body wherein about six million tons of ore is to be mined.
A conference on climate change is set to be held in Albay to discuss with local government units concrete adaptation options to current climate risks and future climate change, discuss the potential impact of climate change to the country.
The conference has been tasked to draft the Albay Declaration on climate change and present the key findings of the 2007 inter-governmental panel on climate change report. The expected outputs of the three-day first ever conference on climate change will also be presented to the Bali Conference in December 2007.
Bicol has few industrial businesses, as indicated by the records from the Department of Trade and Industry regional office. There are eight large industries across the region and these are mostly located in Albay province. Four are coco-based industries namely, Cosay Coco Products, Cosay Coco Oil Mills, Legazpi Oil Company Inc. and Globe Coco Manufacturing Inc.
Two are abaca-based; Alindeco and Isarog Pulp and Paper, and two are mineral-based such as the Lafayette mining firm in Rapu-Rapu and Palanog Cement Plant Factory in Camalig.Baddy contradictorily saboteur hydrastinin nonmesonic thrifty apprehensible periodically basobismutite suitability sceptical. Niche pseudoclock exstrophy thiostannate disappearing esophagectasis unsolicited demecolcine nondegenerate.
Copyright 2007, Manilla Times
Conference on climate change to discuss its risks and potential impact to the country
Source: Copyright 2007, Manilla Times Date: October 22, 2007
By Rhaydz B. Barcia
Mining industries are a major source of greenhouse gases which pollute the environment, as Gilbert Gonzales, regional director of the Environment Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Bicol explained.
“Mining operations are major emitters of greenhouse gases to the environment because of the chemicals they’re using,” Gonzales said. The EMB was tasked to monitor compliance of environmentally critical projects used with ECCs. In Albay province there are two major mining companies such as Lafayette Philippines Inc. (LPI), located in the island town of Rapu-Rapu and Camalig GoodFound Cement Factory in the town of Camalig.
These two mining companies were both penalized by the DENR for violations of Environmental Compliance Certificate. The DENR slapped the Good Found Cement Corp. with a fine of P350,000 for violations of seven conditions out of the 42 stated in the ECC for quarry operation and establishment of the cement manufacturing plant.
Ibalong Resources Development Corp., owned by Taiwanese Chuang Teng Ko, operates the cement plant company. In 2003, the plant quarried limestone and clay with a total sales value of P1.91 million and produced 5.7 million bags of cement valued at P291.5 million.
The plant site was once agricultural land planted with coconuts and other farm crops but converted into industrial use. Meanwhile, the Rapu-Rapu Polymetallic Project was also slapped with more than P10 million in penalties and suspended its operation for almost a year following two consecutive toxic spillages in October 2005. According to fishermen from Barangay Binosawan, the waste tailings spillage incidents made their catch dwindle from 70 blue marlins a year to 20 in 2005 and 2006.
The Rapu-Rapu Polymetallic Project is among the 24 priority mineral development projects under the Arroyo administration. The project cost is pegged at P1.8 billion or $33,509,812 million.
The project has a potential mine life of eight years with a planned annual production of 10,000 tons of copper in concentrates, 14,000 tons on zinc concentrates, 50,000 ounces of gold and 600,000 ounces of silver annually with mine leases covering 180 hectares in the eastern side of the island town of Rapu-Rapu.
Gov. Joey Salceda of Albay pioneered the prototype campaign on environment dubbed as “Albay in Action Against Climate Change” and part of his priority program is the prohibition of open pit mining and burning to dispose of garbage especially plastics to avert greenhouse gas emission.
However, LPI is practicing open pit mining in Rapu-Rapu and in Camalig, which contradicts the program of Salceda. The current project is an open pit mine focused on the Ungay-Malobago ore body wherein about six million tons of ore is to be mined.
A conference on climate change is set to be held in Albay to discuss with local government units concrete adaptation options to current climate risks and future climate change, discuss the potential impact of climate change to the country.
The conference has been tasked to draft the Albay Declaration on climate change and present the key findings of the 2007 inter-governmental panel on climate change report. The expected outputs of the three-day first ever conference on climate change will also be presented to the Bali Conference in December 2007.
Bicol has few industrial businesses, as indicated by the records from the Department of Trade and Industry regional office. There are eight large industries across the region and these are mostly located in Albay province. Four are coco-based industries namely, Cosay Coco Products, Cosay Coco Oil Mills, Legazpi Oil Company Inc. and Globe Coco Manufacturing Inc.
Two are abaca-based; Alindeco and Isarog Pulp and Paper, and two are mineral-based such as the Lafayette mining firm in Rapu-Rapu and Palanog Cement Plant Factory in Camalig.Baddy contradictorily saboteur hydrastinin nonmesonic thrifty apprehensible periodically basobismutite suitability sceptical. Niche pseudoclock exstrophy thiostannate disappearing esophagectasis unsolicited demecolcine nondegenerate.
Copyright 2007, Manilla Times
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