Uphold environmental, social protection laws or risk MPSA cancellation, Samar miners told

MANILA, Philippines — Mining companies operating in Eastern Samar should fully implement environmental and social protection measures, as contained in their mineral production sharing agreements (MPSAs), or risk the cancellation of these permits issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), top officials of the province said.

In a dialogue with the DENR and mining firms in Homonhon Island, Eastern Samar Governor Ben Evardone reminded the miners to implement fully the key provisions of their MPSAs on environmental and social protection in their concessions as well as on the welfare of their workers and the socioeconomic development plus health programs for the residents of their host-communities.

Homonhon Island in the municipality of Guiuan is rich in metallic minerals like chromite and nickel iron ore. The 20-kilometer-long island was where the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan first landed when he reached the Philippines during the first circumnavigation of the world about 500 years ago.

Evardone also told the miners to immediately settle their unpaid real property taxes (RPTs) due the province and their host-municipality of Guiuan.

Citing provincial government data, provincial treasurer Antonia Macawile said five of these miners have combined RPT arrears estimated at P133.9 million based on the aggregate volumes listed in their chromite and nickel ore stocks transport permits (OTPs), which the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) issues to them regularly for transporting the unprocessed mineral ores that they are able to extract from their mine sites.

These companies are Cambayas Mining Corp., Emir Mineral Resources Corp., Techiron Resources Inc., Mt. Sinai Exploration and Development Corp., Chromiteking Inc., as well as Nickelace Inc. whose MPSA is being operated by Global Min-met Resources Inc. and Verum Terra Geosciences Inc..