Small scale miners warned vs gold processing

August 19, 2019 Provincial

ITOGON, Benguet – Small-scale miners (SSM) in this mining town were warned anew not to throw its waste to river channels and to install environmental facilities or face stiff sanctions.

Mayor Victorio Palangdan warned gold processors to construct tailing dams in order to prevent its waste from going directly to river systems and not cause pollution, following an assembly meeting of the Benguet Federation of Small-Scale Miners, Inc. (BFSSMI) he attended recently.

Palangdan said he will not hesitate to order the closure of their processing plants if they will not institute measures to stop pollution, like in the case of one processor who is an active board of director of BFSSMI.

This developed following the latest special order from Mines and Geosciences Bureau-Cordillera (MGB-CAR) headed by its Officer-in-charge, Fay Apil, deputizing the Police Regional Office Cordillera (PROCOR) to stop illegal small scale mining in the Cordillera region.

With that order, however, Palangdan revealed, he together with members of the town’s legislative council, appealed to PROCOR head, Police Brig. Gen. Israel Ephraim Dickson to give them an ample time to report who (SSM) shall be stopped.

“Panga-asim Sir, aguray ka pay ta dagami iti mangibaga no sino iti sumardeng,” said Palangdan, revealing what transcribed during their meeting with PBGen Dickson.

And the local executive told Dickson that he will first order the stoppage of small scale miners/operators whose processing plants are located along the rivers banks.

Palangdan urged gold processors to be mindful also of the welfare of the people especially those living in nearby towns.

“Dakayo nga gold processors along the rivers, diretso ti waste yu idiay karayan, saan yu nga panpanunuten nga adda met iti kabiagan dagiti tao iti baba, panpanunuten nyo lang ti kabiagan yo,” Palangdan decried.

He pointed out the latest news report of “fishkill” in barangays Dalupirip and Tinungdan which was earlier reported by some national newspapers.

Thus, Palangdan strongly urged anew gold processors to construct their own tailing dams to prevent mining wastes to flow along the rivers.

He said, “It’s very clear what they said (referring to concerned government agencies), once they found environmental violations it will be stopped.”

The mayor revealed that it was the big mining companies-like the Benguet Corp. that wrote the Task Force Mining Challenge (TFMC) to stop small scale mining.

“While we protect our environment, I challenged Benguet Corp. to stop mining,” said Palangdan even as he presented his town’s approved Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP), Forest Reservation Plan, and Recovery Plan in the case of the damage wrought by Typhoon Ompong.

Primo Agatep/ABN