2008-09-06 15:51:41 - DUNAGUETTE CITY. Governor stops use of heavy equipment at mine site

Negros Oriental Governor Emilio Macias II has ordered the immediate stoppage of the use of heavy equipment in the quarry site at the former Construction and Development Corporation (CDCP) Mining in Basay in the southern part of the province.

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This after it was reported that despite a permit for a small scale mining permit

issued, some quarters were using heavy equipment for retrieval of scrap copper ore and pyrite.

The governor ordered Provincial Legal Counsel Erwin Vergara, who co-chairs the Provincial Mining and Regulatory Board (PMRB) to send a letter to the person who were responsible for using the heavy equipment.

The letter was sent Thursday to the leaseholders, Ben Aratea and Isidro Yucor.

The order of the governor is to bring down the heavy equipment immediately in line with the recommendation of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) regional director Vergel de Dios that using heavy equipment does not qualify for a small-scale mining operation.

According to Vergara, Director de Dios personally visited the quarry site last month and recommended that the use of heavy equipment be stopped.

He added the privilege of the tribal group, Bukidnon Tribe Council, is to grant them a special permit under their ancestral domain.

But the permit is subject to the conditions imposed by the Provincial Mineral Resources Utilization Ordinance.

The Property Management Office (PMO) under the Department of Finance had earlier asked the office of 3rd District Rep. Pryde Henry Teves to intervene in the illegal quarry operations at the former CDCP mining site.

The PMO is looking forward for possible locators who have the capability to put up a smelting plant so as to provide more job opportunities for local residents as well as ensuring a responsible environment conservation effort.

But Vergara explained the province is more favorable to small-scale mining even though large-scale mining has a better environment package.

Vergara noted that large-scale mining operations pay taxes directly to the national government and do not benefit local government units.