First posted 04:42pm (Mla time) Sept 24, 2006
By Melvin Gascon
Inquirer
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=1&index=1&story_id=22784
BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya -- Catholic Bishop Ramon Villena has called on the church and civil society groups in Australia to help in the local church's crusade to uphold the rights of indigenous peoples opposing a planned mining project in Kasibu town.
The bishop aired the concern of the Roman Catholic Church in the country over "the breakdown in legal process and good governance" and the "proper protection of local and indigenous rights" in the proposed gold-copper project in Didipio village being pushed by Australasian Philippines Mining Inc. (APMI), an Australian firm.
"The Philippine Catholic bishops seek the active support of Australian bishops, institutions and civil society actors for the protection of democratic processes, local governance and adequate safeguards for the human rights of indigenous peoples, the poor and marginalized," Villena said in a statement.
Since 1994, APMI has been eyeing to undertake large-scale mining activities for gold and copper in Didipio, under a financial and technical assistance agreement (FTAA) it entered into with the Philippine government in 1994.
Villena said he was optimistic that the Australian Bishops' Committee for Justice, Development and Peace (ABCJDP) would live up to is commitment to Third World countries "to help them not to harm the environment."
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Reyes sees RP mining rebound
First posted 03:59am (Mla time) Sept 19, 2006
By Norman Bordadora
Inquirer
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=1&index=1&story_id=21784
Editor's Note: Published on Page A17 of the September 19, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
THE Philippines is on the way to regaining its stature as one of the top 10 global producers of copper, gold, chromium and nickel, Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes said following the holding of an international mining conference in the country last week.
Reyes made the assessment after the four-day Indaba in the Philippines Mining Conference, which was attended by potential investors who are already operating in mine-rich African states.
“The Philippine government is revitalizing mining not purely for the expected economic benefits but also with due and equal regard for the environment and the communities,” Reyes said.
He invited officials from mining countries to attend the Indaba conference here.
“Come to the Philippines to take a ‘hard look’ at the Philippine mining industry and its prospects,” Reyes said. The country’s untapped mineral resources have been estimated to be worth $1 trillion, he said.
Aside from getting extensive briefings on the laws and regulations governing mining in the Philippines, the participants were informed about tax and other business incentives available to mining investors.
The delegates visited mining locations in the country, such as the copper project in Tampakan in South Cotabato.
Some of them appeared impressed by the country’s mining potential, as well as by the concern over social responsibility displayed by some local mining corporations.
Some of the participants manifested their desire to return to the Philippines.
“We’re comfortable with risks in the Philippines. We’re happy we came here as early as we did or in two years, properties will be very expensive. We anticipate we’re going to be in the forefront of a world-class development in the Philippines,” said Albert Brantley, chief development officer of Oceana Gold Ltd (OGL).
Terry Burgess, Anglo Base Metals (ABM) business development head, said the Philippines had just emerged on top of the world’s most attractive mining investment venues.
“The Philippines is on everybody’s list of countries to look at. There’s still uncertainty about the implementation of mining laws, but there are few countries without risks. There are a lot of countries with great prospects despite risks associated with them,” Burgess said.
ABM is affiliated with Anglo Gold Ashanti and Anglo American, which has a joint venture agreement with Philex’s Boyongan copper-gold discovery and operates in the United Kingdom, Europe, South Africa, and South America.
OGL is set to infuse fresh investments into the $125-million Didipio copper mining project in Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya through a merger with Climax Mining.
By Norman Bordadora
Inquirer
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=1&index=1&story_id=21784
Editor's Note: Published on Page A17 of the September 19, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
THE Philippines is on the way to regaining its stature as one of the top 10 global producers of copper, gold, chromium and nickel, Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes said following the holding of an international mining conference in the country last week.
Reyes made the assessment after the four-day Indaba in the Philippines Mining Conference, which was attended by potential investors who are already operating in mine-rich African states.
“The Philippine government is revitalizing mining not purely for the expected economic benefits but also with due and equal regard for the environment and the communities,” Reyes said.
He invited officials from mining countries to attend the Indaba conference here.
“Come to the Philippines to take a ‘hard look’ at the Philippine mining industry and its prospects,” Reyes said. The country’s untapped mineral resources have been estimated to be worth $1 trillion, he said.
Aside from getting extensive briefings on the laws and regulations governing mining in the Philippines, the participants were informed about tax and other business incentives available to mining investors.
The delegates visited mining locations in the country, such as the copper project in Tampakan in South Cotabato.
Some of them appeared impressed by the country’s mining potential, as well as by the concern over social responsibility displayed by some local mining corporations.
Some of the participants manifested their desire to return to the Philippines.
“We’re comfortable with risks in the Philippines. We’re happy we came here as early as we did or in two years, properties will be very expensive. We anticipate we’re going to be in the forefront of a world-class development in the Philippines,” said Albert Brantley, chief development officer of Oceana Gold Ltd (OGL).
Terry Burgess, Anglo Base Metals (ABM) business development head, said the Philippines had just emerged on top of the world’s most attractive mining investment venues.
“The Philippines is on everybody’s list of countries to look at. There’s still uncertainty about the implementation of mining laws, but there are few countries without risks. There are a lot of countries with great prospects despite risks associated with them,” Burgess said.
ABM is affiliated with Anglo Gold Ashanti and Anglo American, which has a joint venture agreement with Philex’s Boyongan copper-gold discovery and operates in the United Kingdom, Europe, South Africa, and South America.
OGL is set to infuse fresh investments into the $125-million Didipio copper mining project in Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya through a merger with Climax Mining.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Move to save Vizcaya mountains, watersheds launched
By Charlie Lagasca
Publication Date: [Wednesday, September 13, 2006]
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/show_content.asp?article=274976
BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya — Seeking to help preserve the environmental diversity of the forest areas in Cagayan Valley, a multi-sectoral group here launched over the weekend a concerted effort to save the province’s remaining watershed areas.
Called the Palali-Mamparang Mountain Range Conservation Project, the group aims to ensure the biodiversity of the Palali-Mamparang Mountain Range, a section of the Sierra Madre Mountains in Kasibu and Quezon towns, which is also part of the Sierra Madre Biodiversity Corridor.
The Palali-Mamparang Range is one of the eight biodiversity hot spots in the country, according to the newly launched Friends of the Environment for Development and Sustainability (FRENDS).
Besides rampant illegal logging, mining and brushfires, FRENDS also identified the alarming conversion of forest lands and agricultural lands into other uses as one of the leading factors of the continued degradation of the Sierra Madre, which is home to many endemic endangered species.
FRENDS also noted with alarm the rapid loss of forest lands in the various sections of the Sierra Madre, emphasizing that 13 types of forests have been identified to be endemic to the country’s longest mountain systems, four of which are within the Palali-Mamparang ranges.
Earlier reports showed that the forest cover of Nueva Vizcaya and neighboring Quirino province are being diminished by as much as 5,000 hectares every year or 10 hectares daily.
The United States Agency for International Development-(USAID)-assisted Philippine Environmental Governance (EcoGov) in Luzon, is now striving to reduce destructive activities within the forest reserves of the Sierra Madre mountain range.
Quirino’s forest cover has reportedly been reduced by as much as 3,545 hectares in a year or 9.7 hectares daily while its former mother province of Nueva Vizcaya, which still has 51 percent forest cover is continuously reduced at 456 hectares every year or 1.2 hectares daily.
The conservation project, which also intends to rehabilitate and develop the said area, consists of a series of programs and activities intended to preserve and develop the Sierra Madre range, which straddles the municipalities of Quezon and Kasibu towns here.
Publication Date: [Wednesday, September 13, 2006]
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/show_content.asp?article=274976
BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya — Seeking to help preserve the environmental diversity of the forest areas in Cagayan Valley, a multi-sectoral group here launched over the weekend a concerted effort to save the province’s remaining watershed areas.
Called the Palali-Mamparang Mountain Range Conservation Project, the group aims to ensure the biodiversity of the Palali-Mamparang Mountain Range, a section of the Sierra Madre Mountains in Kasibu and Quezon towns, which is also part of the Sierra Madre Biodiversity Corridor.
The Palali-Mamparang Range is one of the eight biodiversity hot spots in the country, according to the newly launched Friends of the Environment for Development and Sustainability (FRENDS).
Besides rampant illegal logging, mining and brushfires, FRENDS also identified the alarming conversion of forest lands and agricultural lands into other uses as one of the leading factors of the continued degradation of the Sierra Madre, which is home to many endemic endangered species.
FRENDS also noted with alarm the rapid loss of forest lands in the various sections of the Sierra Madre, emphasizing that 13 types of forests have been identified to be endemic to the country’s longest mountain systems, four of which are within the Palali-Mamparang ranges.
Earlier reports showed that the forest cover of Nueva Vizcaya and neighboring Quirino province are being diminished by as much as 5,000 hectares every year or 10 hectares daily.
The United States Agency for International Development-(USAID)-assisted Philippine Environmental Governance (EcoGov) in Luzon, is now striving to reduce destructive activities within the forest reserves of the Sierra Madre mountain range.
Quirino’s forest cover has reportedly been reduced by as much as 3,545 hectares in a year or 9.7 hectares daily while its former mother province of Nueva Vizcaya, which still has 51 percent forest cover is continuously reduced at 456 hectares every year or 1.2 hectares daily.
The conservation project, which also intends to rehabilitate and develop the said area, consists of a series of programs and activities intended to preserve and develop the Sierra Madre range, which straddles the municipalities of Quezon and Kasibu towns here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
