BAGUIO CITY—The Cordillera office of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau said Wednesday the Loakan airport is not covered by the exploration permit it had granted to The Golden Era company for its mining activities within the city and parts of the nearby town of Itogon.
Engineer Felizardo Gacad, chief of the MGB-CAR mine safety, environment and social development division, said Golden Era was given six months to secure the free and prior informed consent and the necessary permits from the affected communities. The permit emphasized that no ground works would be undertaken until the company had complied with the stipulations of the exploration permit.
“Our map shows that the Loakan airport is not within the coverage of the areas to be explored by the company. We made it clear to them that they are given six months to comply with the conditions,” Gacad said.
MGB-CAR may, at any time, cancel the permit for violation of the provisions of the Mining Act and its implementing rules and regulations, or the terms and conditions of the permit, Gacad said.
Golden Era was also required to submit to MGB-CAR the proof of consultation with project presentation to the Baguio City Council in the form of a resolution, or a certification prior to applying its approved exploration work program, he added.
The company was also required to submit a certificate of non-overlap or a certificate of precondition from the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, along with a community development program, within six months from the issuance of the permit.
MGB-CAR issued the permit to Golden Era on March 30, and Gacad noted it had a life span of two years from the date of issuance. It is renewable but cannot exceed a total term of four years (for non-metallic mineral exploration) or six years (for metallic mineral exploration).
Earlier, NCIP-CAR regional director Roland Calde brought the issue to the attention of the Regional Development Council as Golden Era plans to explore an area of 444 hectares that would cover the Loakan airport and several barangays in Baguio City.
However, MGB-CAR officials asserted that the “full-blast exploration” in the areas covered by the permit would only be done if the company complies with the FPIC process and secures the needed consents within six months from getting the permit.