Mining Applications Cover the Entire Cordillera Region
If
all mining applications in the Cordillera region were approved, it would
cover 1.7 million of the 1.8 million hectares of the entire region.
By
Lyn V. Ramo
Northern Dispatch
Posted by Bulatlat
BAGUIO CITY-
If all the applications for Financial and Technical Assistance Agreements
(FTAAs), Mineral Production Sharing Agreements (MPSA) and exploration
permits (EPAs) in the Cordillera were approved, only a very small portion
of the region’s 1.8 million-hectare total land area will be left for other
uses.
Cordillera Mines and
Geo-Science Bureau Director Neoman dela Cruz said in a press conference
last week that there are 11 FTAA, 36 MPSA and 46 EPAs applications, all of
them new, covering a total of 1.7 million hectares. Of these, 10 MPSAs
and two exploration permits have been approved. The bureau is still
evaluating FTAAs for the environment secretary’s evaluation and for the
president’s final approval, dela Cruz said.
He did not specify
the provinces covered by mining applications but he confirmed that these
are located in all of the six provinces in the region.
Dela Cruz said that
the department has set up a one-stop shop to expedite the processing of
mining applications. Under the new system, De la Cruz said, the processing
of mining applications will only take weeks as compared to the old
processing which took months or years.
“There is a
streamlining of processing procedures,” dela Cruz told the press, adding
that the aim is to achieve zero backlog in the processing mining permits.
Dela Cruz noted an
influx of foreign companies wishing to do business in the Cordillera. He
did not mention specific companies but said that these are mostly
Australian, Canadian and U.S. multinational companies.
Meanwhile, the 52nd
Annual National Mine Safety and Environment Week started with a caravan
from the National Capital Region to Baguio
City today. Several activities,
including sports games, a symposium for mining engineers, the traditional
secretary’s night and the annual awards night are among the highlights of
this year’s celebration.
In a related
development, the 3rd Small Scale Mining Convention honored
Benguet small scale miners in a day-long activity at the Athletic Bowl.
Northern Dispatch/Posted by Bulatlat
BACK TO
TOP ■
PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION ■
COMMENT
© 2005 Bulatlat
■
Alipato Publications
Permission is granted to reprint or redistribute this article, provided
its author/s and Bulatlat are properly credited and notified.