Filipino mining board cancels small scale miners’ permits
The provincial mining and regulatory board has canceled the small-scale mining permits it earlier issued to dummy companies of a Canada-based venture capitalist operating in Narra, Palawan, citing various violations of the mining law and pressured by the withdrawal of support by local stakeholders.
In a decision released Tuesday, the PMRB canceled the permits of Patricia Louise Mining and Development Corporation and Palawan Alpha South Resources which had been operating on a renewed permit, effective for two years.
PMRB is a local government body which issues small-scale mining permits for mineral ore productions not exceeding 50,000 metric tons a year.
The board earlier slapped the company with a cease and desist order following numerous complaints raised by local farmers affected by the mining project ranging from destruction of farm lands due to poor soil erosion management to the non-payment of damages to affected farmers.
The PMRB upheld the claim made by the farmers from Calategas, Narra, that the mining companies failed to secure a fresh endorsement from the local residents and the local government unit when they filed and were awarded an extension for their small scale permit.
The affected farmers have also petitioned the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to withdraw the environmental clearance certificate it had issued to the parent company Narra Nickel Mining and Development Corporation (NNMDC), also because of alleged absence of local consultations as required by the mining law.
NNMDC, which has applied for a large scale mining permit in the form of a Financial Technical Assistance Agreement (FTAA), is a subsidiary of the Canada based MBMI Resources Inc., a venture mining capital publicly listed in the Canadian exchange.
Category: ResourceAsia
