Troops sent to mine site in Nueva Vizcaya

By Melvin Gascon
Inquirer
Last updated 04:49am (Mla time) 08/28/2006

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Published on Page A23 of the August 28, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

CABARROGUIS, QUIRINO—Army soldiers and policemen have been sent to a remote village here where a foreign mining company has started road clearing activities to access its planned gold-copper project site near the Nueva Vizcaya-Quirino border.

But while military and police officials gave varying accounts on the purpose of the arrival of troops in Barangay Tucod here, others belied speculations that the deployment was meant to guard the activities of Australasian Philippines Mining Inc. (APMI).

Teams from the Army’s 5th Infantry Division and the police’s provincial mobile group have been stationed in the village for the past two weeks as APMI started road rehabilitation of the 13-km mountain road connecting this town to Barangay Didipio in Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya.

The roads are being prepared for the expected transport of heavy equipment that APMI would use for its pre-development operations for its $102-million Didipio mining venture, according to Chito Gozar, APMI manager for central liaison.

The company vowed to start operations next month, despite the objection of residents at the site and the rejection of the project by their local governments.

In addition, questions linger as to what province—Nueva Vizcaya or Quirino—actually covers Didipio, and who would benefit from the project’s proceeds as host community.

The project is scheduled to start despite the failure of local officials to resolve questions on the operations of about 300 illegal miners at the planned project site.

Senior Supt. Pedro Cuntapay, Quirino police director, said he has sent troops to Tucod due to the presence of communist rebels in the area.
“There were recent sightings [of insurgents] there and also because Arimco is there,” he said, referring to APMI, formerly Climax Arimco Mining Corp.
But Maj. Victor Tanggawohn, chief of the Army’s civil military operations unit, said the soldiers were deployed as security forces during the visit of Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes.

On Aug. 8, Reyes visited the project site in Didipio to check on the reported illegal mining activities there.

“They have not been recalled since because they are awaiting the arrival of a military official who is expected to visit the area in the coming days,” Tanggawohn said.

Cuntapay and Tanggawohn declined to reveal the size of the troops in Tucod for security reasons.

Gozar said he was not aware of the troop deployment at the project site.
Jerrysal Mangaoang, Cagayan Valley director of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, and Wilfredo Malvar, provincial environment officer, said the troop deployment was part of pursuit operations against members of a group who robbed the Quirino General High School on Wednesday.
“What we heard was that the robbers escaped to the mountains, so the troops were after them,” Malvar said.