Second ‘Minahang Bayan’ opens in Benguet town
LOOKING FOR GOLD Small-scale miners take out sacks of gold ore from a tunnel at Acupan mines in Itogon, Benguet, in this file photo. The provincial government has allowed the operation of a mining zone in Itogon to sustain the livelihood of pocket miners. —RICHARD BALONGLONG
LA TRINIDAD, Benguet — A 64-hectare “Minahang Bayan” (people’s mine) in the gold-rich town of Itogon in Benguet province was opened for pocket mining after the Provincial Mining and Regulatory Board (PMRB) on Tuesday signed a resolution giving clearance to the area.
The land was mostly owned by Benguet Corp., one of the pioneer mining firms, in Barangay Loacan here.
It was the second Minahang Bayan opened for pocket miners, after a 1-ha area, also in Itogon, was given clearance for mining late last year.
Regulated conditions
Fay Apil, Cordillera director of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau and PMRB chair, said mining contracts approved by the board give pocket mining groups the right to extract mineral ores for commercial purposes on regulated conditions.
According to Lomino Kaniteng, president of the Benguet Federation of Small-Scale Miners, four groups operate within the Minahang Bayan, aside from Loacan Itogon Pocket Miners Association.
Of the total area, 56.2 ha are patented mining claims of Benguet Corp.
Small-scale mining
Gov. Crescencio Pacalso, who cochairs the PMRB, directed a technical working group to finalize the guidelines on processing contract applications.
“Miners are eager to get their livelihood back but we need to follow the legal processes to avoid problems in the future,” Pacalso said.
In September last year, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu banned small-scale mining activities in Cordillera after a massive landslide triggered by Typhoon “Ompong” (international name: “Mangkhut”) killed more than 100 people, mostly pocket miners, in Itogon.
Before the ban, pocket mining in Benguet operated illegally but was tolerated for many years by local authorities. —Karlston Lapniten
