Catholic
News
13 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.
