MORE NEWS, BENGUET

Mine firm spends P1.9B for care of environment
BY DEXTER A. SEE

TUBA, Benguet – The Philex Mining Corporation here has already spent a total of P1.9 billion pursuant to its policy on proactive environmental management for the past 49 years of its operation.

Lawyer Ed Aratas, chief of the Philex’s legal division, said that Philex is striving for excellence in mineral resource development and is committed to the continuous improvement of its operations, to minimize adverse environmental impacts, to comply with relevant environmental legislations and to promote environmental awareness and commitment among its workers at all levels.

From 1967 to 2005, the company has spent a total of P1.56 billion for its numerous environmental projects while over P225 million was earmarked for the same purpose last year.

It was learned that the mining firm has established at least 1,705 hectares of watershed and reforestation area that was planted with 6 million trees with an 80 percent survival rate. From 2000 to 2005, at least P24 million was spent for the regreening project.

Aratas pointed out that their forest protection and watershed management initiatives had greatly helped vegetate the once denuded and logged over areas.

Philex constructed its first tailings pond in 1967, nine years before the approval of the Pollution Control law in 1976.

Aratas added that community-based reforestation started in the 1960s as a means of livelihood for the affected communities even before The man and Biosphere Program.

Furthermore, the company established its materials recovery facility in 1998 even before the approval of Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.

Philex was the first to secure an ISO14001 from the Certification International based in England which certified on the company’s compliance to international environmental management standards even before the Department of Environment and natural Resources (DENR) issued Administrative order 14, series of 2003 or the Self Regulation Towards Improved Environmental Performance.

The company has a total of 14,000 hectares covered by mining claims but it operates only 530 hectares while another 50 hectares is earmarked for community facilities such as schools, markets and public places among others.

Aratas disclosed that the company has also re-vegetated 20 hectares out of the 25 hectares of its tailings pond number one thereby making it an added tourist attraction in the mine site because of the presence of a mini-golf course and a livelihood area for the communities.

Aratas asserted that the company is dedicated to fulfill its social environmental obligations to the communities within the mine site and the neighboring areas provided that it will be done above board, thus, a symbiotic relationship between the company and the people must always prevail for the pursuit of a better place to live and maintaining a well preserved environment for the benefit of the future generation.