Mines bureau lifts CDO vs Berong Nickel

The government has lifted the cease and desist order which was slapped on the barge and loading operations and ore exporting activity of nickel miner Berong Nickel Corp. (BNC) when a cargo vessel carrying 1,120 wet metric tons (WMT) of its nickel ore was submerged off the coast of Palawan last month.

The Region IV-B office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Mines & Geosciences Bureau (DENR-MGB) investigated the incident involving LCT Mark Jayson II and all other vessels including tug boats used in ore shipment on March 17 and concluded that Marc Jayson was “seaworthy and that its partial submergence was an accident.”

A DENR-MGB letter signed by regional director Roland de Jesus stated that the cease and desist order on BNC’s barge and loading operation in Berong, Quezon in Palawan and the suspension in the processing and issuance of mineral ore export permit had been lifted as of March 23.

BNC, a joint venture between DMCI Mining Corp. and Atlas Consolidated Mining and Development, has so far recovered at least 99.5 percent of the submerged nickel ore. In a statement, DMCI Holdings said BNC had also contained the water discoloration caused by the submerged nickel ore using containment booms, geotextiles and coco logs.

DMCI also said there was no oil spill from the vessel, citing confirmation by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) in their reports dated March 16 and March 22, respectively.

Jomalia Shipping Corp., the vessel owner, plans to refloat and tow LCT Mark Jason II, pending receipt of the required salvage permit from the Maritime Industry Authority, DMCI said.

In the meantime, BNC has rolled out a skills development program for women and indigenous people in its host communities in Palawan.

The skills development program provides unskilled females and indigenous peoples with high-value employment, DMCI said in a  statement.

Under the program, trainees undergo about 150 hours of operations and maintenance training so they can work as hydraulic excavator operators instead of spotters and laborers.

“Hydraulic excavator operators earn double compared to unskilled workers. The additional income will go a long way in addressing the needs of their families,” DMCI Mining president Cesar Simbulan said.

To date, 62 locals have completed the program, eight of whom are Tagbanuas and five are women.

The majority have secured jobs at BNC while a few have transferred to other mining companies.

BNC is the only mining company in the Philippines that offers hydraulic operator training to women and indigenous people.

Berong Nickel’s mine is under an approved mineral production sharing agreement with the Philippine government through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. It is located in Barangay Berong, Municipality of Quezon, Palawan. Doris Dumlao-Abadilla