Sagittarius Mines denies Dominguez involvement in Tampakan project
Sagittarius Mines, Inc. (SMI) came forward to defend Finance chief Carlos Dominguez III and denied allegations that the latter has a stake in the controversial Tampakan project, Southeast Asia's largest undeveloped copper-gold mining project that is currently facing several regulatory hurdles.
SMI Corporate Linkages Manager Roy D. Antonio said in a statement on Monday that the company "formally and unequivocally states" that Dominguez "does not have nor has he ever had any financial or other interest in the corporation."
"This is an incontrovertible fact which is supported by the required filings submitted by the corporation to pertinent government agencies as required by law," Antonio said.
Environmental group KalikasanPeople’s Network for the Environment (Kalikasan-PNE) National Coordinator Clemente Bautista earlier said Dominguez and his family have stakes in mining companies such as SMI, United Paragon Mining, Philex Mining Corp, among others.
Dominguez currently co-chairs Mining Industry Coordinating Council (MICC) with the Secretary of Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
“Secretary Dominguez and his clan’s mining interests were threatened by the bold mining regulations implemented by now former DENR Secretary Regina Paz L. Lopez. Dominguez should be investigated, as it is unethical and even bordering on graft for a highly partisan mining oligarch, such as himself, to intervene in governance matters that can benefit his family’s own mining interests,” Bautista said in a statement.
In February, the DENR cancelled the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) of Tampakan project.
Withdrawal of the ECC will prevent any company to continue its operations or its certain projects.
According to Lopez, the project will put at risk "the food basket of Mindanao for something that we might not even get."
It was last year when the DENR began running after the $5.9 billion Tampakan project for some environmental concerns. (MBM)