South Cotabato execs look forward to mining project

MANILA, Philippines - South Cotabato board members said they are looking forward to the Tampakan gold-copper project.

“We are looking forward to this business venture,” said South Cotabato board member Ervin Luntao during a presentation on the proposed project before three other board members, Jose Henry Aguirre, Samuel Ladot and Jojit Tupas, and former South Cotabato governor Hilario de Pedro III held in Koronadal City this week.

“But we need the province protected since the raw materials are ours,” Luntao said.

“How can we be assured that there will be actual reporting once the operation starts?” Luntao asked.

This is a complete turnaround from the provincial board’s previous stance on the Tampakan project as evident in the province’s ban on open-pit mining.

On the other hand, former De Pedro explained that under the Mining Act, “the project needs to get two out of three local government endorsements – the barangay, the municipality, and the province – to push through.”

“But according to the project proponent, they will seek the endorsement of all three LGUs, including the South Cotabato provincial government,” said De Pedro.

The former governor also clarified that South Cotabato is not really anti-mining, even during the time of Gov. Daisy Fuentes who signed the Environment Code.

“What Gov. Fuentes was asking for was a study on the environmental and social impact of the Tampakan project to the province, which I believe was not yet complete then,” De Pedro said.

“But once this is submitted the issue of the ban on open-pit mining will be resolved,” he added.

“What we need is a technical study,” Ladot said.

Sagittarius Mines Inc., proponent of the Tampakan copper-gold project, on the other hand, has committed to finalize and submit the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources during the first half of 2011.

However, the board members all agreed that they need to protect the interests of South Cotabato, whether financial, environmental or social.

“This is a business venture, and like an ordinary business partner we have to know the value of the deposit,” Luntao said.