Equipment move seen to boost small-scale mining in Comval

AFTER many years in the doldrums, the small-scale miners in Mt. Diwata and Sitio Depot area are paving the way for the transfer of the batch-type mini CIP (Carbon in pulp) and ball mills to the Mineral Processing Zone in Mabatas area in Monkayo, Compostela Valley province.

Lawyer Felix Alicer, regional coordinator of the Philippine Mining Development Corporation (PMDC), said it had been years since the transfer of the CIP and ball mill plants was planned until last year when the provincial government of Compostela Valley took the cudgels to fund the land preparation and develop the road network.

PMDC spearheads the government’s initiative to develop the 8,100 hectares Diwalwal Mineral Reservation, including Diwalwal gold rush area in Mt. Diwata, Compostela Valley.

From P1.5 million funds for land preparation of the Mabatas area, Alicer said the expenses of the provincial government already reached P4 million, including fuel, labor, and rental of equipment.

Alicer said the graveling of the road is already 50 percent complete. The development should have been handled by the national government through the Natural Reservation Development Corporation (NRDC), which was in charge of collecting and allocating of mining share and the issuance of service contracts for miners operating 600 feet above within the 729-hectare area.

Alicer said the province’s initiative was the only way to operate the ball mill. The transfer of the CIP and ball mill plants could take for a year and will affect 92 settlers while 40 of them have been transferred.

The transfer of the batch-type mini CIP and ball/rod mills operated by the small-scale miners to the Mineral Processing Zone at Mabatas area had been recommended by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) to the Program Monitoring and Coordinating Center (PMCC) in early 2000 because of high mercury contamination levels in Naboc River.

PMCC is chaired by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) regional executive director, the barangay captain of Mt. Diwata and the PMDC.

Mt. Diwata barangay captain Pedro Samillano said there were 138 ball mill plants and 48 registered CIP. There were 48 mine tunnels in Mt. Diwata.