TO continue operating large-scale mining operations in the country, OceanaGold Philippines Inc. must meet additional requirements as part of its application to renew its financial and technical assistance agreement (FTAA), the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) said on Tuesday. In a briefing in Quezon City, MGB Director Wilfredo Moncano said the Australia-based mining firm’s application, which the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) already endorsed to President Rodrigo Duterte’s office, contained some irregularities, slowing down the approval process. “[Environment S]ecretary [Roy] Cimatu endorsed favorably the renewal of [the application of] OceanaGold to the Office of the President. But [the latter] found a deficiency [in it],” Moncano explained in Taglish. At the same time, he added, the Bugkalot tribe in Nueva Vizcaya province — which stays near where OceanaGold’s Didipio gold and copper mine operates — has applied to expand its ancestral domain. This means the company needs to talk to the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples and address the issues concerning these areas.
