BY LEANDER C. DOMINGO/THE MANILA TIMES
BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya (July 18)—Gov. Carlos Padilla was disappointed and disheartened by the renewal of the Didipio Mine’s financial or technical assistance agreement (FTAA) for another 25 years.
“It was indeed very lamentable and disheartening,” Padilla said in a statement, adding the renewal, which happened despite their strong opposition to the re-opening of the mines, was “an act of injustice.”
On Wednesday, Australian OceanaGold Corp. confirmed the Philippine government renewed the Didipio Mines’ FTAA in the upland town of Kasibu for an additional 25-year period beginning June 19, 2019.
“We believe this is an act of injustice not only to our environment, but to our fellow Novo Vizcayanos, who had suffered enough from the negative effects of the mining operations in Didipio,” Padilla said. “It is a day of mourning for those who care for the environment.”
Padilla said the national government went on to renew OceanaGold Philippines Inc.’s (OGPIs) FTAA to the detriment of the environment and it was a sad day for the environment-loving Novo Vizcayanos.
“We reject this decision and will continue to support the resistance and struggles against OceanaGold’s operation in Didipio,” he added.
BACK TO WORK
Residents in the gold and copper-rich upland village of Didipio look forward to going back to the jobs OGPI created for them, either directly or indirectly.
OGPI officials said the long-delayed renewal of their FTAA led to the layoff of 80 percent of its workforce, or more than 620 workers.
This excludes thousands of workers in different business and service sectors indirectly created by the advent of large-scale mining operations in the province.
The initial 25-year Didipio FTAA took effect on June 20, 1994 and expired on June 20, 2019, a year after OceanaGold lodged its renewal application. An FTAA is a permit issued to a multinational company sharing technology and resources to explore and extract minerals in the Philippines.
On June 27, 2019, a few days after Didipio FTAA expired, Padilla then issued an order to stop the operations of OGPI in its Didipio Mine and met with officials and residents of Barangay Didipio explaining why he had to stop the Australian-based mining operations.
In response, OGPI officials showed a letter from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources allowing it to continue operating pending the renewal of its FTAA.
But Padilla disputed the letter from the MGB. The Didipio mines were barricaded by groups opposing the mining activities making it difficult for OGPI to do maintenance activities.
OGPI management suspended full operations and filed a court injunction while working with the MGB and other government agencies for its FTAA renewal.
