By Celeste Anna R. Formoso
Mayor Benedito (4th from left); Tim Ashworth, site manager of BNC and Jane Timbancaya-Urbanek, community relations manager of BNC, with other LGU officials and guests during the inauguration of the Ipilan mining satellite office and information center in Brooke’s Point, Palawan. (Photo by C.A.R Formoso)
IPILAN NICKEL Corporation (INC), the sister mining company of Berong Nickel Corporation (BNC) in Quezon municipality, inaugurated its satellite office and information center on July 1 in Poblacion II, Brooke’s Point, overlooking the glimmering waters of Sulu Sea.
From what used to be a little dump site, an area where hogs and other farm animals are slaughtered and a much loved pseudo-public comfort room, the INC is able to creatively turn an unkempt site at the side of the town’s marketplace into a nucleus of important information on responsible mining practice being pursued in Berong.
The satellite office has thatch-roofed sheds made of indigenous materials that hung tarpaulin-printed photos and texts showcasing about recent activities of both INC and BNC and sharing the Philippine Mining Law; a special map of the province detailing the difference in sizes of lands being mined and used in agriculture and others; and other educational mining materials.
Jovie M. Gonzales, the project manager of INC in barangay Ipilan, held it’s not just an office but a unique and transparent contribution to the public by collecting, preserving and interpreting all things about responsible mining practice in their sister mining company site in Quezon, which will also be adhered to by the INC.
“Whoever wants to be informed about how we do responsible mining in the communities where we operate and will operate can come here and view the information we have provided,” Gonzales stated in his speech during a simple inauguration program attended by municipal government officials, led by Mayor Cesario R. Benedito, Jr.; members of the Brooke’s Point Federation of Tribal Councils (Brofetricts); representatives of neighbor MacrosAsia Mining Corporation; Tim Ashworth, site manager of BNC; former town mayor Myrna Ordinario-Lacanilao and others.
Jane Timbancaya-Urbanek, the community relations manager of BNC, stated the venue was organized for the public and contains essentially educational material evidence of responsible mining practice that are not so much on its technical aspects but can be easily understood. Visits to the satellite office are free.
“This is where information that people need to know about mining can be found. We’d like to invite the people of Brooke’s Point to see this and understand that responsible mining practice is the guiding principle being followed by BNC and INC,” she said.
The facade of the satellite office greets visitors with a display of tarp-printed photos and information materials on responsible mining practice. (Photo by C.A.R. Formoso)
Ashworth, the new site manager of BNC, admired the satellite office, saying it’s a showcase of what are being done in Berong in terms of rehabilitating the areas that have already been mined, social responsibility, stakeholder engagement and more, which can be replicated by Ipilan mining when it begins to operate.
Benedito, on the other hand, congratulated the INC on the inauguration of its satellite office. He hopes that the mining issue in his town will come to a halt and all concerned stakeholders will begin to work together to make sure the mining companies will become responsible.
“The mining issue being lodged against me has been there for a long time. The people have proven that they want me to stay since last election. This time, I hope everybody will work together to keep Brooke’s Point safe from irresponsible mining,” he stated in an interview with Palawan Times.
Both pro-responsible and anti-mining advocates, he said, have already said their opinions regarding the issue, and it’s time to “let the people of Brooke’s Point decide.”
“As mayor of this town, I will be for the decision of the majority,” he commented on rumors he’s siding “too much” with the mining companies.
He reminded INC and other mining companies proposing to operate in his municipality to strictly adhere to the Philippine Mining Law. “I appeal to the mining companies to follow what the mining law demands. This is a program of the national government, not the municipality, not the province, that’s why I hope they will follow the principles of responsible mining,” he added.
“So far, the two mining companies here have not violated the mining law,” Benedito said.
