BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya -- Oceana Gold Philippines Inc. has started
demolishing makeshift houses at its mine site in this province after a buy-out of housing rights to make way for the development of Northern Luzon’s first large-scale mine.
The company has completed acquisition of the most of surface rights (housing and land) it needs. This will be followed by the construction of the last few kilometers of access road to the site and of the tailings pond and mining plant.
"The community has been supportive of our activities since we’ve paid off all our obligations. Some of them are volunteers in the clearing. We’re also helping them relocate to safer places where they are designated to construct their houses," according to Jake Foronda, OGPI General Manager.
Two-hundred houses will be removed by the company.
Most of the houses are virtually unoccupied. Some of the houses have been built by lowland-dwelling people (non-indigenous people) at the onset of the company’s construction in speculation of the appreciating value of the property.
Some of the remaining houses also stand illegally on government-owned forest land.
Whether legal residents or not, OGPI had compensated the occupants for their improvised dwellings.
However, it is continuing to negotiate the purchase of a few remaining housing rights in the hope of amicably finishing acquisition of the rights over which it has the mandate to occupy under government’s power of eminent domain.
That is without resorting to a quasi-judicial action that authorizes law-enforcement authorities to carry out eviction of the properties.
"We keep our doors open for a negotiation with them, but it won’t stop us from pursuing our work," Foronda said. -- SG
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