THE PHILIPPINE MINING INDUSTRY'S WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
6
6
Mining Week 6
VOLUME 1 NO. 5
JULY 1-14, 2013
P20
www.phminingweek.com
FEATURED STORYx
More than a drop in the bucket: A Philex-Silangan community love story
See back page
Ombuds raps filed vs Jasareno
ON TOP OF CIVIL SERVICE CASE, SACKED MGB REG’L DIRECTOR ALSO FILED CHARGES IN COMELEC; JASARENO DENIES WRONGDOING x
MGB chief now facing 3 cases courtesy of the MGB-Caraga director he relieved from office x Along with Jasareno, Engr. de Dios seeks suspension of PMO chief for allegedly instigating his relief
S
URIGAO CITY—Engr. Roger A. de Dios has filed has asked the Ombudsman to suspend Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) acting chief Leo Jasareno for allegedly committing corrupt practices. De Dios, recently the MGB regional director in Caraga Region until Jasareno sacked him in May, said the MGB chief should be held liable for making him defy a court order, and then giving him the boot when he refused to comply. De Dios has also charged Jasareno with an election offense, pointing out that his relief on May 14 was well within the Commission on Elections ban on movement of government personnel. The Omnibus Election Code, which prohibits the transfer or detail of civil service employees from January 13 to June 12. FULL STORY ON PAGE 4 k
NONOC NICKEL ROW WIDENS
Shuley now wants MGB chief
cited for contempt x
Case filed following Dir. Jasareno’s order to deny issuance of OTPs and suspend PNPI MPSA in Nonoc x Former PNPI official confirms San Miguel mining unit now in charge of Nonoc mines NONOC nickel miner Shuley Mine Inc. (SMI) has now included Mines and Geosciences Bureau acting chief Leo L. Jasareno on its legal laundry list. SMI has asked a regional court in Surigao City to cite Director Jasareno for contempt, alleging that the top MGB official has violated an injunction that guaranteed the company’s continued operations in Nonoc.
Jasareno is expected to appear before Branch 29 of the Regional Trial Court in Surigao City on August 2 to answer the charge. In May, SMI also sought to cite for indirect contempt Pacific Nickel Philippines Inc. (PNPI) officials for allegedly violating the injunction granted by Regional Trial Court Branch 29 on May 6. FULL STORY ON PAGE 4 k
x COMMUNITIES
Except for sand and gravel, all types of mining now a crime in Catanduanes
IN HOT WATER. Piles of cases have now been filed against MGB Acting Director Leo L. Jasareno in connection with his relief of Engr. Roger A. de Dios. Industry watchers
have opined that Jasareno’s act of giving de Dios the boot for merely following a court injunction had been a terrible miscalculation.
AMMB industry ‘killer,’ says Chamber as backers eye passage of new mining law x
Cancellation of all existing MPSAs and FTAAs a key provision of AMMB x Unwieldy, protracted, repetitive, and impractical, says Chamber of Mines official of certain AMMB provisions AN official of the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines (CoMP) has described the Alternative Minerals Management Bill (AMMB) as “designed to kill responsible mining in the Philippines.”
CoMP Vice-President for Legal and Policy Ronald S. Recidoro made the comment in a paper following the refilling in the two houses of Congress of AMMB, which sought the repeal the
x COMMENT & INSIGHT Oplas: Mining, Markets and Government
x ENZ
Philex firm on duties as gov’t gives green light for TSF3 remediation
SCREEN GRAB COURTESY OF ANC
Roa: Mining, in the late 19th century Philippines
Mining Act of 1995. AMMB advocates re-filed House Bill No. 984 and Senate Bill No. 43—the two versions of the bill that emerged from House Bills 206, 3763, 4315 and several other mining-related bills in the House of Representatives. “Passing the AMMB within the next three years is our direction,” Dinagat lone dis-
trict congresswoman and AMMB co-author Arlene “Kaka” Bag-o told Mining Week. “We’re confident that our bill will generate strong support among the party-list groups in the House and especially from the Liberal Party,” Rep. bag-ao added. FULL STORY ON PAGE 8 k
MGB-12 head hopeful Socot SP will review open pit ban DAVAO CITY—AMIDST the continuing conundrum over a local environment ordinance in South Cotabato province affecting a copper-gold project, a regional official of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) said the national law is superior than local legislation. MGB 12 regional director Constancio A. Paye Jr., in a press conference during the 20th Annual Mining Symposium in Davao City early this month, said based on several lawyers’ opinion “This is not a question of validity for any local legislation because the local law remains valid until it is revoked or amended.” FULL STORY ON PAGE 5 k