Aussie firm halts entry of Vizcaya gov’t personnel to mine site; violence feared

KASIBU, Nueva Vizcaya — Tension is mounting which is feared to erupt to violence in a mineral-rich village here after security guards of an Australian firm undertaking the nationally-sanctioned Didipio Gold-Copper Project blocked all entry points to its project site, preventing the entry of non-company and government-owned vehicles, including personnel.

This, as provincial capitol guards came to ensure the enforcement of the provincial government-issued cease and desist order to Oceana Gold Philippines to stop its “illegal” quarry activities in the area, which has been the subject of an impasse between the province and the foreign company, which continued to ignore the former’s order for it to secure a quarry permit.

Anti-mining posters and streamers which had all but disappeared in the past years had again started to come out as the residents found comfort in the provincial government’s moves to take on the mining firm.

“I am following lawful orders of the provincial government. We are here to ensure that the cease and desist order of the governor is properly implemented. But if they’re going to bar us from fulfilling our duty, that’s another matter. We have to carry out the order at all costs,” said Francisco Tolentino, the provincial government’s environment and natural resources officer.

On May 12, tension was stirred here as Tolentino’s vehicle was blocked by boulders suddenly poured along the way by a truck employed by Oceana Gold while Tolentino’s convoy was on its way to its monitoring site in Barangay Didipio here.

Furious, Tolentino and his men, backed by police escorts, disembarked from their vehicles and barged through the hastily-set up checkpoint of Oceana Gold and hiked to the monitoring site where he and his men ensured that no quarrying activity would take place in violation of the provincial government’s order.

“Nobody can stop us from implementing the provincial government’s order. If they block us, we will respond at all cost. We must remember that this is still part and parcel of Nueva Vizcaya, although they may have a mining permit to operate here,” he said.

Oceana Gold company guards said they were only following orders from management.

A number of capitol guards were also dispatched to the area amid reports that even provincial government vehicles were prevented from entering the firm’s project site.
Vice Gov. Jose Gambito, for his part, said the deployment of police in the area was to ensure that peace and order would be maintained.

“We have to emphasize that the police are not taking sides with anybody. They are here only to ensure that no untoward incident would happen,” he said.

Gov. Cuaresma, other provincial officials and employees trekked back to Didipio in the wee hours of the morning on May 13 to beef up their barricade amid reports of Oceana Gold’s insistence of pursuing with its quarrying activity, reportedly on orders of Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Lito Atienza. – CL