P45-M set for displaced N. Vizcaya small-scale miners

By Leander C. Domingo

QUEZON, Nueva Vizcaya -- An initial amount of P45.32 million was allotted for the establishment of a resettlement area for the displaced illegal small-scale miners and settlers in the gold-rich upland villages of Barangay Runruno.
    Mayor Dolores Binwag said the amount of P40 million will come from the National Housing Authority which is expected to be transferred to the local government unit account upon completion of all requirements.
    Binwag said the Quezon LGU purchased a two-hectare land amounting to P2.4 million for the 74 prequalified households from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau-declared geo-hazard zones in Runruno.
    The LGU has already raised an amount of around P3 million.
    "We are in hurry for the construction of the resettlement houses because of the danger posed by the landslide-prone areas where small-scale miners and settlers remain with their illegal activities there," she said.