Ipilan Nickel Corp. said it complied with all local laws and regulations in relation to its tree-cutting operations in Palawan province.
Brooke’s Point Palawan Mayor Jean Feliciano earlier said she would press charges against the mining company for allegedly cutting down trees despite the cancellation of its environmental compliance certificate.
Ipilan Nickel said in a statement it was issued a special tree cutting and Earth-balling permit by authority of the Environment secretary on May 25, 2016 with a validity of one year.
The company said the permit allowed the company to earth-ball 14,439 trees and cut 13,490 trees in an area covering 52 hectares. The mining company said coordination with the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office for the tree-cutting operations began on the Feb. 1, 2017. INC said all trees that were to be cut were inventoried and marked by the Environment Department.