Cenzon, Austin (with his wife, Juliene), and Philex Mining SVP and Padcal Resident Manager Manuel Agcaoili | BF

‘Greater good’ marks Philex Mining’s Padcal operations

Monday, September 8, 2014

‘They did not run away from their responsibilities’

By Butch Franco

They came not only to offer prayers in thanksgiving and celebrate with the officials and employees of Philex Mining Corp. for the normal operations of Padcal mine, in Benguet, they also stressed the company•€™s promotion of the •€œgreater good•€ via its adherence to responsible mining, community development, and state regulations.  

Philex Mining has been noted for developing the communities where it operates, thus protecting the •€œwelfare of the people,•€ said Bishop Carlito Cenzon, of Baguio City, as he led Saturday the celebration of a Thanksgiving Mass, at the Saint Louis High School-Philex, following the Aug. 27 government order allowing Padcal mine to operate fully. •€œPhilex Mining must continue working for the greater good. May God bless Philex always.•€  

 

Burning the pig•€™s hair before slaughtering and boiling it during a cañao ritual | DARWIN SARDEZ

Stressing the company•€™s remediation measures implemented after the 2012 tailings-leak accident, as well as its •€œvery good program on environmental protection,•€ Benguet Gov. Nestor Fongwan said, •€œI visited Dam 3, and was impressed with Philex operations: it was able to solve the spill. I would like to correct that wrong impression that Philex has not been doing anything.•€  

He was referring to Padcal mine•€™s Tailings Storage Facility No. 3 (TSF3), in Itogon, which discharged water and sediment onto the Balog Creek, a tributary of the Agno River, on Aug. 1, 2012, following historically unprecedented downpour brought about by two successive typhoons.  

Emphasizing that the country•€™s biggest gold-and-copper producer has helped a lot in the development of communities and businesses at its host and neighboring communities, Mr. Fongwan said, •€œLet us hope that Philex will still be around 20 years from now.•€ He cited the various partnerships that the company has entered into with the local government units toward sustainable development, and he then joined the other officials in a press conference after the celebration on Sept. 6.  

            Apil (right) and Philex Mining VP-Exploration Redempta Baluda (2nd, R) with the company’s group manager for Internal Audit, Geraldine Ateo-an, and Jocelyn Galapon, group manager for Geology & Exploration at Padcal operations | DARWIN SARDEZ

Agreeing with the bishop that the company must spread its blessings across the towns of Tuba and Itogon, which host the Padcal operations, Itogon Mayor Victorio Palangdan said, •€œThe advantages that Philex Mining offers are much more than the disadvantages. I urge Philex to continue thinking about the environment of Itogon and Tuba. I saw responsible mining in Philex, and I am happy to celebrate with you for returning to formal operations.•€  

We have always helped Philex implement its various social and environmental projects in the remote villages,•€ Florencio Bentrez, mayor of Tuba, told over 1,500 guests and employees, who gathered on the grounds of SLHS-Philex for the Thanksgiving celebration. •€œWe are always with you, including Itogon.•€ 

A Thanksgiving Mass is held at the grounds of SLHS-Philex | BF

The Thanksgiving Mass was held before the cultural show and after the cañao, an ancient Filipino ritual of offering and thanksgiving, which was held at dawn by the TSF3. The guests partook of the Cordillera region•€™s various traditional dishes•€”such as watwat (boiled pork) and pinuneg (blood sausage made of pork and pig•€™s innards) prepared at the tailings pond, and other Filipino dishes like pork adobo (cooked in vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic) and boiled root crops (taro and sweet potato) served at the SLHS-Philex Gymnasium, which became the event•€™s another venue following a downpour.  

Through its mining regulator, Mines and Geosciences Bureau, the government had expressed satisfaction over Philex Mining•€™s rehabilitation activities, prompting the MGB to give the green light for full operations after the miner had operated temporarily from March 8, 2013.

Thank you, Philex, for showing what responsible mining is,•€ Fay Apil, OIC-regional director of the Baguio City-based MGB-Cordillera Administrative Region, said in a speech after the Sept. 6 Thanksgiving Mass. •€œThey did not run away from their responsibilities. The order for normal operations given them was due to Philex being a responsible miner. The MGB joins Philex in this celebration.•€

Fongwan and Apil are flanked by Agcaoili and Austin at a press conference | DARWIN SARDEZ

Being grateful for the support extended to Philex Mining by all the stakeholders, particularly the indigenous peoples, the company•€™s CEO and president, Eulalio Austin, Jr., declared, •€œWe are not alone in this world. This celebration will put us back to where we were before. But this will be a difficult start.•€ He stressed the things that need to be done, such as cost-cutting measures and paying off loans, in the midst of low metal prices in the world market.  

Philex Mining officials, employees, and guests released into the air a number of white balloons, where they wrote their prayers and wishes, to recap the celebration, which was also enlivened by ethnic music and traditional dances (such as the eagle and bendian) presented by the students and residents of the Padcal community to celebrate a successful endeavor.  

            White balloons bearing the prayers and wishes of Philex Mining employees and guests are released into the air, to cap the thanksgiving  celebration | BF