Benguet shipment from Zambales questioned
AN opposition senator yesterday accused Benguet Corp. of sending three shiploads of “illegally extracted” nickel ore to China.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said he received reports that Benguet sold 150,000 metric tons of nickel ore to a company in China. He said the mineral was extracted from a mining site in Sta. Cruz, Zambales, which did not have an environmental clearance certificate and a mayor’s permit.
At $30 per MT, the shipments of nickel ore had an estimated value of $4.5 million, Pimentel said in a press statement.
He called upon Environment Secretary Lito Atienza and Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno to rein in their subordinates who colluded with big mining interests and “appear to have made a mockery of mining laws.”
According to the senator, the extraction of the nickel ore was allowed by Horacio Ramos, whom Pimentel identified as the director of the Bureau of Mines under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Pimentel said this is a clear case of evading the requirements of the law which mandates that firms must get an environmental clearance from the Environment Department before they can mine any part of the country.
“How can ‘bloc sampling’ justify the extraction of 150,000 metric tons of nickel ores and their shipment in three ships to a destination in China. At an estimated $30 per metric tons, the nickel ores extracted and being shipped would cost some $4.5 million. A lot of money in any language for the investors and their cohorts but hardly for the people of Sta. Cruz,” he said.
Pimentel’s exposé dovetailed with a report of Secretary Atienza that he has launched a crackdown on illegal mining in Zambales. Atienza disclosed that he personally led a recent DENR operations against this activity which led to the confiscation of 200,000 MT of nickel ore while they were being unloaded from dump trucks and transferred to a waiting ship at a private port in Sta. Cruz owned by a mining firm.
He said he flew by helicopter unannounced to the seaport and saw that armed men were around to guard the cargo. He said the mining operators even managed to deploy an armored personnel carrier at the port. By Fel V. Maragay - Manila Standard Today
Interviewed by journalists, Atienza blamed the illegal extraction of nickel ore on Zambales Gov. Amor Deloso who, he said, allegedly indiscriminately issued small mining permits which were used for the illegal activity.
He said there was clear violation of the law because small miners are authorized to extract only 50,000 metric tons of nickel ores. He said his department will take legal action against the persons involved in the illegal mining activity.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said he received reports that Benguet sold 150,000 metric tons of nickel ore to a company in China. He said the mineral was extracted from a mining site in Sta. Cruz, Zambales, which did not have an environmental clearance certificate and a mayor’s permit.
At $30 per MT, the shipments of nickel ore had an estimated value of $4.5 million, Pimentel said in a press statement.
He called upon Environment Secretary Lito Atienza and Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno to rein in their subordinates who colluded with big mining interests and “appear to have made a mockery of mining laws.”
According to the senator, the extraction of the nickel ore was allowed by Horacio Ramos, whom Pimentel identified as the director of the Bureau of Mines under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Pimentel said this is a clear case of evading the requirements of the law which mandates that firms must get an environmental clearance from the Environment Department before they can mine any part of the country.
“How can ‘bloc sampling’ justify the extraction of 150,000 metric tons of nickel ores and their shipment in three ships to a destination in China. At an estimated $30 per metric tons, the nickel ores extracted and being shipped would cost some $4.5 million. A lot of money in any language for the investors and their cohorts but hardly for the people of Sta. Cruz,” he said.
Pimentel’s exposé dovetailed with a report of Secretary Atienza that he has launched a crackdown on illegal mining in Zambales. Atienza disclosed that he personally led a recent DENR operations against this activity which led to the confiscation of 200,000 MT of nickel ore while they were being unloaded from dump trucks and transferred to a waiting ship at a private port in Sta. Cruz owned by a mining firm.
He said he flew by helicopter unannounced to the seaport and saw that armed men were around to guard the cargo. He said the mining operators even managed to deploy an armored personnel carrier at the port. By Fel V. Maragay - Manila Standard Today
Interviewed by journalists, Atienza blamed the illegal extraction of nickel ore on Zambales Gov. Amor Deloso who, he said, allegedly indiscriminately issued small mining permits which were used for the illegal activity.
He said there was clear violation of the law because small miners are authorized to extract only 50,000 metric tons of nickel ores. He said his department will take legal action against the persons involved in the illegal mining activity.
posted by OlongapoCity Zambales at
3:43 PM
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