Responsible mining - Philippine Star

Is there such an animal as responsible mining? Yes there is, and there are quite a few responsible miners.

Two executives of Nickel Asia Corp. (NAC) explained to members of Bulong Pulungan at Sofitel that contrary to what has been pounded on the ears of consumers, mining is not harmful, but benefits communities and the nation as well – if managed responsibly.

NAC has one project in Palawan, in the Rio Tuba area, and three others in Surigao. The two resource persons  spoke mainly about the Rio Tuba Nickel Mining operation  using a powerpoint presentation  that showed a community enriched by the initiatives of the company which was established in the 1960s.

In the Rio Tuba  operation, “surface mining is used, so  there is no need to blast mountains, quarry stone or use offensive chemicals,” explained J.B. Baylon, NAC vice president for communication. The method is simply digging the soil (nickel is found 30 meters down), and pouring the same (nickel and soil)  into trucks to be shipped to clients in Japan and Australia.

One can get an idea of how much NAC, the mother company,  is earning from its operation through the taxes it pays. In its latest report, Taganito Mining in Surigao paid more than P1.5 billion and Rio Tuba paid P1 billion in Palawan. Dennis Zamora, senior vice president of Rio Tuba, and in charge of  investor  relations at NAC.

So how is the community benefited?

“There are people who say mining brings poverty. (Our experience) in Rio Tuba is an example of a reverse,” said Baylon. More than 40 years ago, there were seven nomad families and 7,000 mosquitoes in Rio Tuba. Now there are 17,000 residents in  the barangay alone out of 35-40,000 living in the town of Bataraza. I guess the mosquitoes are gone.

Years ago one  had to travel seven hours to Brooke’s Point and take a pump boat for five hours to get to the mine site in Rio Tuba, within the municipality of  Bataraza. The company built a cemented road  and installed  a sprinkler in the bottom which sprinkled  water during the summer to keep the dust off  the air.

The company paid for the road, constructed  a hospital, where minor surgical operations are  conducted, a housing complex for employees  in cooperation with Gawad Kalinga,  and a school  run by the Dela Salle brothers for employees’ children and outsiders; all these services, including electricity and drinking water,  are free.  It also built a sports complex.

With these privileges, Bataraza is the most advanced municipality outside of Puerto Princesa in Palawan, said Baylon. “And tops in cash balances, income and assets.”

The mined-out areas are converted into a forest, with foresters recontouring the open pit, fill it up with top soil, and plant trees that are local species of Palawan. “We spent in 2015 alone, P50 million to rehabilitate almost 300 hectares of mined-area to become a forest,” said Baylon.

About siltation, Baylon said the mine sites have ponds to catch siltation if and when it rains so that by the time water gets into the river it will not be a silted river.  Mangroves have been planted in  the coastal areas, so that by the time the water gets out into the sea the silt has already been captured.

“We take the place of the government  by making provisions  for the community residents,” said Dennis Zamora, son of  the NAC founder Ronnie Zamora.  “Ours is an example of how mining has transformed the community, in contradiction  to those who claim that mining brings poverty.”

Even before the present  DENR secretary required an audit, NAC had earned the ISO 14001, Dennis added.

Nickel is used to make  stainless, rust-free kitchenware, computers, car gadgets, etc.

Asked if the government will earn more if mining companies processed  the raw nickel instead of exporting it,  Baylon said NAC  has invested in a $1.6B processing plant in Claver, Surigao del Norte called Taganito HPAL. “We’re one of the first, if not the first operation to have this,” said Baylon.

Email: dominitorrevillas@gmail.com