Friday, March 29

Australian mining firm’s permit renewal pushed

BY LEANDER C. DOMINGO

KASIBU, Nueva Vizcaya (August 18)—Seven big community-based cooperatives, people’s organizations, local businesses and employees here called on the local government unit to support the renewal of the Financial and Technical Assistance Agreement (FTAA) of OceanaGold Philippines Inc. (OGPI).

These community groups responded to a Barangay Didipio council’s resolution, which asked President Rodrigo Duterte, through the Office of the Mayor here, to deny the renewal application of the Australian mining company.

These groups are the Didipio Community Multi-Purpose Cooperative (DCMPC), Didipio Community Development Corporation (DiCorp), Didipio Producers Cooperative (Dipco), Didipio Mine Employees Association (DMEA), Pun-o-o’haan-hi-kiphodan (Union) and Employees Alliances and Multipurpose Cooperative of OceanaGold (Teamco).

With 430 members, the DCMPC said this town’s Mayor Romeo Tayaban and Vice Mayor Alberto Bumolo Jr. should instead support the Didipio mine’s FTAA renewal, noting how the company has improved the quality of lives of its members.

“The company contributed to the economic stability of our members and the stoppage of its operation affected the economic power of our members to fulfill their obligations in the organization,” it added in a resolution of its own.

A community-owned corporation with around 215 employees and 328 shareholders, the DiCorp said the move of the village council did not reflect the decision of the community, adding that the council’s resolution was a misrepresentation of the people as it was crafted without proper public consultation considering that majority of Didipio residents support the company’s FTAA renewal.

With OceanaGold’s award of P1.7 billion long-term contracts from 2011 to 2019 to the corporation, the DiCorp noted that the community benefitted from various social development projects of OGPI such as roads, schools, health facilities, training, seminars and enterprise development initiatives

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The Dipco with 185 members also expressed support to OceanaGold, saying its members have also benefitted through training, seminars and workshops on farming.

Fearing a severe economic impact from closure of the Didipio mines if the FTAA is not renewed is the DMEA and the Union, which is composed of workers and contractors of OGPI with over 309 members, mostly residents of Didipio village.

The Union denied allegations of environmental abuses by OGPI “when in fact the company ensured environmental sustainability during its resource development operations.”

Union members said certifications awarded to OceanaGold including ISO 14001 Environmental Management System; Ohsas 18001 Occupational Health and Safety System and EnMS 50001 Energy Management System only proved the successful and remarkable environmental programs and initiatives of the Didipio mines.

Some 280 members of the Teamco echoed the same support, describing the village council’s move as herding hundreds of community residents to an “uncertain and fearful” future.

“We witnessed how the company valued us as part of the workforce by supporting all initiatives and endeavors to uphold the state of living of each member, providing us an avenue to see development in our families, community and stakeholders,” the Teamco said, also in a resolution of its own.

Representing the youth of Didipio village, the Sangguniang Kabataan (Youth Council) and Buklod Didipio have also rallied support for these various community organizations in their resolutions calling on the municipal leadership to support the call for the renewal of OGPI’s FTAA.

“The non-renewal of OGPI’s FTAA poses severe threats, not only to the dynamics of economic activities of Didipio but also to the scholarship of students whose only hope for a better future is securing a better education,” these youth groups said.