BY LEANDER C. DOMINGO
QUEZON, Nueva Vizcaya (June 24)—More than P177.26 million was paid to 680 individuals who had occupied a mining area awarded to a London-based mining firm in Runruno village here as compensation for their property and for them to relocate to a safer place outside the mining area.
James Carmichael, FCF Minerals Corp. country manager, said there were 477 occupants in the sub-village of Bit-ang and 203 more in the sub-village of Balcony, both areas located within the financial or technical assistance agreement (FTAA) between the national government and FCF.
Records show that there were at least 10 occupants whom the company had offered assistance to relocate from the mining area located within the FTAA’s more than 3,000-hectare site.
Meanwhile, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and FCF Minerals have assured the protection of indigenous peoples/indigenous cultural communities (IPs/ICCs) that were affected by the mine firm’s operation.
In an interview led by the Philippine Information Agency, lawyer Roderick Iquin, NCIP-Nueva Vizcaya chief, said this was agreed upon during a recent inspection by NCIP Commissioner Simplicia Hagada in Runruno and a meeting with Carmichael and other FCF officials.
Iquin said the visit of the commissioner was prompted by her desire to uncover the real story about the alleged “discrimination and oppression” committed against the IPs/ICCs, particularly in Sitio Bit-ang.
“Commissioner (Simplicia) Hagada has been moved recently by online news reports and wanted to validate and investigate the alleged discrimination acts by the mining company in Barangay Runruno,” he added.
Iquin said the commissioner urged the mining company to always observe provisions of the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act for the recognition, protection, and promotion of the rights of IPs/ICCs and assured that the NCIP will always stand against discrimination committed against them, such as denying the communities employment opportunities and social development programs.
“The commissioner also assured FCF Minerals Corp. management that she will not tolerate mischievous or deceitful behavior by some members of the IPs and ICCs in the area,” he added.
Officials of FCF Minerals noted that during their meeting with the NCIP officials, Hagada also raised the alleged nonpayment of compensation to the IPs who were allegedly displaced by the mine firm’s operations that the company said it had already paid.
Carmichael said the company will continue to work on remedies for the remaining occupants to leave and relocate outside the mining area.
“This is to avoid the impending risk posed by the area as a highly susceptible geohazard zone which was time and again has been pointed out after a declaration made by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Mines and Geosciences Bureau,” he noted.
The FCF Minerals Land Acquisition Compensation records show that a total of 185.5 hectares located within the mining area mostly at Sitio Bit-ang were a long time ago compensated by Base Metals Mineral Resources Corp., the predecessor of FCF Minerals.
On the remaining occupants in the mining area, Hagada appealed for the company to continue with their property negotiations and settlement.
Iquin affirmed that they were told by the occupants that they are willing to leave the area but only that they are not satisfied with the compensation offered by FCF Minerals.
He said an occupant also told the commissioner that there is no truth to the allegation that the remaining occupants are being harassed by the members of the police overseeing the areas occupied by the IPs.
“There is no harassment because a group of security personnel was only verifying the identities of persons entering the access road within the mining area to prevent the sprouting of new settlers, which was already experienced in the past,” Carmichael said.