Benguet seeks lifting of suspension

Benguet Corp. said on Monday that there was no more reason for the operations of its subsidiary Benguetcorp Nickel Mines Inc. (BNMI) to remain under suspension, as the Court of Appeals has denied a related petition for a writ of kalikasan.

The company said BNMI received the Court of Appeals’ resolution dated May 22, which denied the petition for the issuance of the writ as well as an application for temporary environmental protection order filed by the group called “Concerned Citizens of Sta. Cruz, Zambales (CCOS)”
Benguet said that with the denial of the petition, the provisional writ of kalikasan that the Supreme Court issued was also lifted.

“Denial of the petition renders baseless the allegations of environmental damages under the suspension order dated July 7, 2016,” the company added.

Benguet was referring to the order, one of the first ones that then Environment Secretary Regina Lopez caused to be issued against BNMI and Zambales Diversified Metals Corp. (ZMDC).

In the said order, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau’s (MGB) regional office in Central Luzon ordered the companies to stop their operations immediately.