Tanauan officials will not allow mining companies to operate in their town

TANAUAN, Leyte – The officials in this municipality will strictly follow their decision not to allow any mining company to operate in their town.
This was according to Vice-Mayor Catalina Kapunan in an interview, when asked if the mining company Northern Access Mining Corporation(NAMI) had already made a dialogue with them with regards to their application to conduct mining operation in some parts of the first and second district of Leyte province.

Towns to be under the mining operation of NAMI are Tanauan, Tolosa, Tabontabon, Dulag and Julita under mineral production sharing agreement 222 consisting 50 mining blocks.

Magnetite sand is the mineral to be mined in the five mentioned areas.

Magnetite is a valuable source of iron ore, which metallic ore can be economically extracted.

The decision not to allow any mining firm to operate in their town, according to Kapunan, was based on reports that mining has detrimental effect to the environment and subsequently to locals.

Kapunan added that aside from said report, their municipal mayor had also urged them to have a strong stand against mining operation.

However, when asked if their neighboring town Tolosa will grant application to NAMI by approving through its Sangguniang Bayan a resolution interposing no objection, Kapunan said that they will first observe the effect of mining operation in said town.

“If they will allow it and the provincial board will also do so, and we see that there is a good effect and their operation is not detrimental to environment then we might also follow them,” said Kapunan.

“However, this will need a consensus decision from the officials of Tanauan and we will also need to ask a sentiment from our constituents,” she added.