The Toronto mine, located in Narra municipality, Palawan, is one of the two mining concessions hold by Citinickel Mining and Development Corporation (CMDC) (see “related conflicts” below). The Mining Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) for the Toronto mine was granted on March 01, 2007 and covers an area of 770ha in Palwan [1]. Palawan has a special law, the Strategic Environment Plan for Palawan Act RA 7611 that establishes a development framework in the province and should regulate economic activities, such as mining, in environmentally critical areas.
On November 25, 2012, a large silt spill occurred due to lapses of the mine foreman who was tasked to drain water from one pond to another. The water from the pond, containing toxic tailings, flowed into the Pinagduguan River river and irrigation canals affecting 6.8-hectares of farm lots and a fishpond. Consequently, the Mineral and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) suspended the mining operations from November 26 to December 9, 2012. CMDC had to pay penalties of 375,000 Philippine Pesos (around 8,500$) [2]. In June 2014, also Citinickel’s Pulot Sofronio mine (see related conflicts, below) caused a large silt spill, which according to environmentalist group Kalikasan PNE has led to heavy degradation of nearby rivers [3].
While the company operating both mines had promised progress and development, it brought large environmental destruction [4]. According to the local indigenous organization PKP, their required Free Prior Informed Consent (FPIC) for the mining sites and the related Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was obtained in violation of indigenous rights. Following the large negative impacts of Citinickel’s mining, the indigenous want them to leave the area and stop mining [4], but as part of Citinickel’s long-term development program, the company wants to acquire further mining sites in the area [1]. However, as experienced by the two Citinickel mines, there is a continuous risk of further environmental disasters, due to large mining activities in the region.
As a sign of protest, on March 23, 2015, thousands of Palaw’ans marched in Sofronio Espanola, to oppose the mining operations [4]. PKP, Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM), and other environmental groups are urging the MGB to stop the CMDC projects [5] as well as to revise the Mining Act of 1995 [4].
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