FNI: No illegal Ipilan mine road construction

Global Ferronickel Holdings, Inc., the largest single lateritic mine exporter in the world, denied that its subsidiary, Ipilan Nickel Corp. (INC), had illegally built a mine road in Palawan while still facing a dispute with the government over an alleged indiscriminate tree cutting activity.

Last Friday, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) filed a criminal complaint against INC over massive indiscriminate tree cutting in Brooke's Point town.

This developed as the DENR began looking into yet another violation by the INC, this time in connection with the illegal construction of a mine yard road within its mining area.

When sought for reaction, Global Ferronickel President Dante Bravo simply said in a text message "that's not true."

"We didn't do anything illegal there. Whatever we did there were all in accordance with the conditions of our permit and witnessed by the DENR and LGU (local government unit) representatives," he further said.

In its complaint filed through Brooke's Point Community Environment and Natural Resources Officer Conrado Corpuz, the DENR accused INC of felling some 677 trees, most of which are hardwood species, in an area not covered by the tree cutting permit the company secured last year.

According to the DENR, this is a clear violation of Section 77 of Presidential Decree No. 705, or the Forestry Code of the Philippines.

The case involves a 1.7-hectare area out of the 24-hectare forest cleared by INC in Barangay Maasin, which the DENR claimed was undoubtedly outside the firm's tree cutting permit.

In May, 2016, the DENR issued a one-year special tree cutting permit to INC as part of its mineral production sharing agreement (MPSA) with the agency.

It was just a few months ago that former DENR Secretary Regina Lopez cancelled the company's environmental compliance certificate (ECC), rendering its tree cutting permit invalid.

But the INC insists that the tree cutting permit remains valid since it had filed a motion for reconsideration on the cancellation of its ECC.

According to Bravo, INC is yet to be provided a "copy of whatever they (the DENR) have filed against" the company.

DENR Mimaropa Regional Director Natividad Bernardino said the case they filed on Friday was "just the first in a series of cases against the INC."

She disclosed that the DENR will also file other charges against the mining company once the inventory of the trees cut in the remaining 22.3 hectares is completed.

For his part, Palawan Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer Felizardo Cayatoc said the filing of complaint against INC was based on the instruction of DENR Secretary Roy A. Cimatu to "not let INC off the hook."