TACLOBAN CITY – “Mine is God given,” this was according to Leyte 2nd District Representative Sergio Apostol in a brief interaction with some media practitioners here when asked to comment on the plans by mining companies to conduct exploration in Leyte.
“But the environment should also be fully protected,” Apostol’s immediate response to his statement, citing the mining companies.
“Their people should know how to protect the environment, especially that most people get their resources from areas where they are conducting mining or exploration activities,” Apostol added.
“If we have mines, we should let the people enjoy it, but people who are operating it should know how to protect to environment and to restore the sites to its original phase once they are done in conducting explorations and mining activities,” he added.
Apostol revealed that he learned from mining companies that aside from the “black sand” or magnetite which can be found along the waters of Carigara Bay, there are other minerals that are also present in the soils along the area.
In the previous Sangguniang Panlalawigan session, Lazarus Mining Corporation submitted a letter addressed to the board members regarding their intention to conduct an exploration for black sand in the waters of Carigara and Capoocan towns.
The letter was discussed by the board members who decided to call all mining companies who are requesting to conduct exploration for a meeting which is set on July 27.
In the recent interaction of the mining company Northern Access Mining Incorporated (NAMI) with the barangay officials of Tanauan and Tolosa, NAMI representative said that although it is their corporate objective to invest in mining they also reach out to the people in areas where they are conducting exploration and mining activities by restructuring the areas to their previous phase.
“In the process of rehabilitating the mining sites we can employ people in the community to help us rehabilitate the place once mining is done,” Creighton Gonzales of NAMI said.
Moreover, aside from mining activities, Sandy Conzales, NAMI CHR program adviser, said that their company is also into community investment by conducting livelihood training, providing educational assistance, micro-financing assistance, tree-planting activities and agricultural techno-transfer workshops. (ROEL AMAZONA)