TABUK CITY, Kalinga – The city will not be affected when Makilala starts its mining operation in Balatoc, Pasil, according to Makilala Mining Co. Inc. (MMCI) President and Chairman Atty. Julito Sarmiento during the recent city council session.
The city council invited Makilala in its session to address concerns raised by a group from Balatoc, Pasil, who attended a previous session, on the possible impact of the Makilala mining operation on the environment not only in Balatoc but also in downstream areas like Tabuk.
The group claimed that the mining, which is now in its exploration phase, would cause destruction to their ancestral domain and its wastes would pollute the Pasil River, a tributary to the Chico River in Tabuk.
Sarmiento, in his response, told the council that there is no need for environmental concern as MMCI practices green mining, and therefore, Tabuk City will not be adversely affected.
In order to prevent mine waste from spilling into the Pasil River, Sarmiento noted that MMCI has embraced ecologically responsible practices by utilizing cutting-edge technology and creative methods to remove tailings in its mining operation.
“There will be no tailings. 70 percent of the mine wastes will be processed as backfill materials for mine-out areas underground and the remaining 30 percent will be utilized for various purposes such as dry stacking, hollow block manufacturing as community livelihood, road base and others,” Sarmiento explained.
The mining project which covers 31.8 hectares of land to include Maalinao, Caigutan, and Biyog in Barangay Balatoc, has recently been issued a Certificate of Approval from the Philippine Mines and Geosciences Bureau for its Environmental Protection and Enhancement Program (EPEP) and Final Mine Rehabilitation and/or Decommissioning Plan (FMRDP), according to the website of Celsius Resources, the parent company of MMCI.
Sarmiento said that Maalinao-Caigutan-Biyog (MCB) Copper-Gold Project is the first mining project under the new Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) administration that committed to ‘go beyond responsible mining’.
According to their data presented during the session, MMCI has an initial capital investment of P13 billion for the mining project and planned to produce 50 metric tons of ore over the mine life of 25 years.
It can be recalled that MMCI halted its exploration in Balatoc, Pasil after the government-imposed moratorium on mining in 2012 and only resumes\d its exploration when the moratorium was lifted last 2021. By Rod Asurin
