TACLOBAN CITY – Board Member Roque Tiu, chairman of the committee on environment and natural resources said in an interview that they are expecting the officials of the NICUA Mining Corporation to appear before the members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Leyte on their regular session on March 8.
The presence of NICUA officials is for them to discuss their operation to the members of the provincial board who have been asking mining and exploration permit in the province to strictly comply with the provisions of both national and local laws,Tiu said.
“If we see that there is nothing wrong with the present operation of the mining firm that is based in MacArthur town like if they are rehabilitating the areas where they are conducting their extraction, then we will issue a resolution stating that we are not opposing to their operation,” Tiu explained.
“But if we will not be satisfied or we will found out that they are not doing their obligations based on national and local laws, then we have no choice but to issue a resolution against them,” Tiu added.
Aside from the officials of NICUA Mining, the regional director of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau is also expected to be present at the plenary hall of the provincial board, said Tiu.
The operation of Nicua in MacArthur has become controversial after Board Member Anlie Apostol complained and reported to her fellow members at the provincial board on the report of some residents in the affected barangays in said town that the NICUA is conducting a full-blown commercial mining operation in contrast to an earlier report that they are only conducting extraction as part of sampling need of their mother company based in China.
Early reports said that Nicua is extracting 20 tons of magnetite sand per shipment to China.
Apostol’s complaint was was verified by Tiu’s office.
Based on the verification of his staff, Tiu said that they found-out that said report was indeed true prompting the members of the provincial board to send a letter to the MGB regional head to appear before them in their previous session. (ROEL AMAZONA)
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