Philex contains mine tailings spill

MANILA, Philippines - Philex Mining Corp. announced that as of 8:30 a.m. yesterday, the release of water and sediment from the broken tailings pond of its Padcal mine in Benguet has been contained.

“Despite the heavy rains, thick fog and strong gusty winds in the area, our team has successfully removed concrete stopboards at the penstock area of Tailings Pond No. 3. Since the mine continues to be closed, no further tailings are added to the pond,” said Philex president and chief operating officer Eulalio B. Austin, Jr. in a statement.

Philex said emergency response procedures would continue to ensure that only minimal damage occurs to communities. The company maintains that the water and sediments that have been discharged from the tailings pond are non-toxic. No deaths or injuries have so far been reported as a result of the incident.

 “We will conduct full assessment of the measures that need to be undertaken for rehabilitation, including the clean up of affected waterways,” said Austin. “All of us at Philex are mindful of doing the right thing. We will stand by our commitment to being a responsible mining corporation.”

Water and sediment from the tailings pond had speeped into the Balog and Agno rivers.

Philex temporarily stopped the operations of it Padcal Mine midnight of Aug. 1 to prevent further spillage from its tailings pond.

The firm said heavy rains brought by typhoons Ferdie and Gener resulted in an “unusual and heavy accumulation” of rainwater in the tailings pond.

In a press conference on Friday, Philex chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan said the suspension of the operations in the Padcal copper-gold mine would entail losses of P30 million to P40 million per day.

The company would also not be able to make shipments by September. The last shipment that will be made by Philex will be on Aug. 7.

The Padcal copper-gold mine produces 150,000 tons of concentrate and 26,000 tons of ore.

The Mines and Geosciences (MGB) has issued a cease operation order to the mine until the integrity of the tailings pond is assured. MGB director Leo Jasareno is currently conducting an inspection in the area.

Philex said the mine would be closed to allow the full assessment of the tailings pond

Meanwhile, national disaster and environmental experts are conducting an investigation to determine the extent of damage and the existing dangers and hazards posed to life and marine life caused by the leakage of the mine tailings of Philex in Itogon, Benguet during heavy rains Wednesday evening.

Alex Uy, Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR) Office of Civil Defense (OCD) acting regional director, said no casualty has been reported so far in relation to the incident that hit Pond No. 3 before midnight last Wednesday.

“Experts from Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) along with the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) are now assessing the effect of the slime discharges towards Balog and Agno rivers and the catchment of the San Roque Dam,” Uy said.

Waters impounded at the San Roque Dam came directly from Balog and Agno rivers. Experts from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) have also taken water samples from San Roque Dam to determine any contamination of the hazardous mine waste from leaking Dam 3 of Philex. – With Jaime Laude