The Alyansa Tigil Mina Blog

http://www.malaya.com.ph/aug17/envi2.htm

The Concerned Citizens Against Pollution (COCAP) has accused a mining company operating in Palawan of extracting ore more than its allowable limit and using heavy equipment in its operations.

Ester Perez de Tagle, COCAP chairperson, said complaint documents filed before the provincial government and the regional office of the Department of Environment and Natural resources and photographs and testimonies point to environmental damage allegedly caused by the operations of Platinum Group Metals Corp. (PGMC) in Narra, Palawan.

De Tagle cited data that Palawan Gov. Joel Reyes issued Small-Scale Mining Permits to PGMC to allow the firm to extract 50,000 metric tons of ore from 2004 to 2006. (more…)

http://www.philstar.com/philstar/NEWS200608179907.htm
The Philippine Star 08/17/2006

Militant anti-mining activists are becoming destructive and at times irresponsible and must be restrained at the very least or dealt with to the full extent of the law if warranted, Sorsogon Gov. Raul Lee said in a statement.

Lee said the foreigners who took part in “deceiving” the people of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) the other day to be able to unfurl their huge anti-mining banner from the top of the building must be investigated and if warranted, deported. (more…)

Michael Vaughan, http://www.miningnews.net/StoryView.asp?StoryID=63853

Thursday, 17 August 2006

ELDORE Mining expects to have a new resource estimate for its Nalesbitan Hill gold project in the Philippines finished early in September with a completed mine engineering scoping study set to follow later in the month.

Hellman & Schofield are crunching the numbers for the new resource estimate, which is expected to increase in both the size and confidence of Nalesbitan Hill’s current inferred resource of 7.2 million tonnes grading 1.1 grams per tonne gold for 250,000 ounces.

MiningNews.net was unable to contact ElDore chief executive Tim Collver, who is currently in the Philippines. (more…)

By: Dorothy Kosich, Mineweb -
http://www.mineweb.net/base_metals/931107.htm
16-AUG-06

RENO, NV (Mineweb.com) — Quoting union representatives and mine management, Reuters reported Tuesday that a major strike at the world’s larger copper mine in Chile could end early next week.

The potentially rapid settlement of the Escondida mine strike involving more than 2,000 workers may bode well for other labor negotiations this year, which could have impacted as much as 16% of the world’s copper supply.

Supposition that the Escondida Mine strike could be quickly settled sent copper prices falling Tuesday. Escondida produces 8% of the world’s copper supply and 20% of Chile’s annual copper production. Although copper prices have increased 75% this year, COMEX reported Tuesday that copper for September delivery declined 4.7-cents to $3.48 a pound. Meanwhile, LME copper stockpiles were actually up 1.7% to 113,250 tonnes. (more…)

14 Aug 2006
Indymedia - http://www.indymedia.org/fr/2006/08/844698.shtml

The conclusion of Lafayette’s 30-day mock test run signals the dawn of an impending oceans catastrophe. The gold mine has already leaked cyanide and other toxics into the oceans, creating fish kills and the local people now fear what will happen to their marine environment which for many of them is their only means of survival. Locals are protesting and calling for
international solidarity.

Did you know that to mine 750 kg of gold, you need to use 125 tons of poisonous natrium cyanide in the process? Despite strong opposition from local and national groups, the Philippine government allowed the Australian firm Lafayette to start the extraction of gold, silver, copper and zinc in April 2005 on the picturesque island of Rapu Rapu. (more…)

By Nonoy Espina, INQ7.net -
http://newsinfo.inq7.net/breakingnews/nation/view_article.php?article_id=15428
15th August 2006

A SHIP of the international environmental group Greenpeace arrived in the Philippines on Tuesday to highlight the organization’s campaigns to save the country’s marine ecosystem, particularly polluted Manila Bay and the seas of the Bicol region.

The MY Esperanza, on its maiden voyage to the country, will also highlight a successful community-managed marine reserve on Apo Island in Negros Oriental and “promote it as a model for marine reserves worldwide,” a Greenpeace statement said. (more…)