Catholic-backed Lobby Says Philippines Mine "will Turn Mountain Upside Down"

Catholic-backed lobby says Philippines mine "will turn mountain upside down"

Catholic News

13th November 2006

Three Philippines Catholic diocesan centres are backing opposition to an Australian funded open cut copper and gold mine in the country's south that has been described by community leaders as an "environmental catastrophe looming over heads".

The Philippines Sun-Star reports groups backed by the local Church, opposed to the project, have repeatedly warned that the proposed open cut mine will cause irreparable damage to the environment.

Eliezer Billanes, chairman of Soccsksargends Agenda, said open pit mining method will turn the mountains upside down.

Soccsksargends Agenda stands for South Cotabato, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, General Santos City, Davao del Sur Alliance for Genuine Development. Among the members of the Alliance are the Social Action Centres of the dioceses of Marbel, Kidapawan and Digos.

"An environmental catastrophe looms over our head and the future generation if such (open pit) method will be employed by the firm," Billanes said.

Billanes was responding to studies done on the Tampakan project of Sagittarius Mines Inc. suggested that open pit mining is the best method to extract copper and gold deposits in the area, company officials said.

Tony Robbins, managing director of Indophil Resources, said that based on the pre-feasibility study work program completed in September, open pit mining was the recommended scheme in extracting gold and copper deposits in the area.

According to the same study, the Tampakan project is a world class, two billion-tonne resource, containing 11.6 million tonnes of copper and 14.6 million ounces of gold at a 0.3 per cent copper cut-off grade.

"However, with a total resource estimate of almost two billion tonnes, it is not unreasonable to anticipate a considerably longer mine life. A block cave (underground) option has been investigated and has not been completely ruled out," clarified Robbins.

Indophil owns 95 percent of the Tampakan project and the rest by Filipino firm Alsons Corp.

Once full blast mining operations start possibly by 2009, Robbins said 3,500 people will be hired.

Presently, Sagittarius is gearing towards a definitive feasibility study stage, which would be funded by global mining giant Xstrata Queensland Limited (Xstrata Copper) at a tune of $30 million.

Xstrata Copper has an option to acquire 62.5 per cent of the Tampakan project, the Sun-Star says.

Meanwhile, Bishop Warlito Cajandig of the Apostolic Vicariate of Calapan in Oriental Mindoro and Provincial Governor Arnan C. Panaligan have sent a joint letter to the National Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Angelo T. Reyes, to protest against another environmentally sensitive project to develop a nickel mine.