OceanaGold (Philippines) Inc. said Monday it paid P397.7 million in local business tax (LBT) to three municipalities in Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino.
OGP said it remitted P198.9 million to Kasibu in Nueva Vizcaya. Nagtipunan and Cabarroguis in Quirino received P119.3 million and P79.6 million, respectively, on Feb. 11, 2025.
Kasibu and Cabarroguis joined Nagtipunan in 2025 as first-class municipalities based on their average annual incomes over the past three years.
Under Republic Act No. 11964, first-class municipalities earn an average of P200 million or more annually.
“We are committed to sustaining the mine’s operations so we can continue benefiting our communities. Agyaman kami [Thank you],” said OGP president and external affairs general manager Joan Adaci-Cattiling.
OGP chairman Peter Sharpe noted OGP’s commitment to sharing its success with local communities, noting that the company takes pride in giving back.
“This is a partnership, a relationship—an example of how the company contributes as much as it can,” he said.
OGP also paid P421.9 million and P326.2 million in 2024 and 2023, respectively, in LBT to the three municipalities.
Under a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with OGP, the municipalities pledged to allocate at least P5 million from their LBT share to environmental management, protection and conservation projects.
A subsidiary of OceanaGold Corp., OGP operates the Didipio cooper-gold mine in Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino.
The company signed a financial and technical assistance agreement (FTAA) with the Philippine government in June 1994. The initial term ended in June 2019 and was renewed in July 2021.