Leader of blockade at Vizcaya mine freed
Photo shows Roland Pulido, chair of the Didipio Earth Saver’s Movement Association, who was detained on April 6 after police broke up a barricade that prevented fuel trucks form entering a mine in the Nueva Vizcaya town of Kasibu
BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya – The leader of the group that blocked fuel trucks from entering a mining operation at Kasibu town was freed on Tuesday (April 7) following the April 6 crackdown of a barricade there.
Roland Pulido, Didipio Earth Saver’s Movement Association (Desama) chairperson, was arrested for “disobeying” a police order to dismantle the barricade that had been preventing three trucks from replenishing fuel used by the Didipio operations of OceanaGold Philippines Inc.
Since last year, activists and Didipio residents have been guarding the mine, when its Financial and Technical Assistance Agreement (FTAA) lapsed on June 20, 2019. The company’s 25-year FTAA allowed it to develop and exploit gold reserves in its 10,266-hectare concession area.
The FTAA is renewable for another 25 years. But the Nueva Vizcaya group had expressed its opposition to the mine’s resumption.
Pulido and the barricaders resisted the police. He was detained after the Desama leader crawled under one of the trucks to prevent it from moving towards the mine’s gates. Pulido showed bruises allegedly inflicted by police officers in plainclothes who led him to the Kasibu police station.
All business activities, including OceanaGold’s, have been suspended due to the Luzon lockdown to contain the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), but the delivery of fuel was authorized by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea.
In a statement, OceanaGold said it needs fuel to continue “de-watering activities,” and not undertake any mining operation.
“The Didipio mine has an advanced underground dewatering system (or a pumping station) that safely removes groundwater. The system requires constant power to continue operating,” the company said. “If the power supply at the mine is disrupted and there are no sufficient diesel reserves on hand to generate back-up power, the underground pumping station will not operate, and (the tunnels) will flood,” OceanaGold added.
In a statement, the Nueva Vizcaya Police Office said they received an order on March 13 to provide security for the tankers.
On April 6, the police coordinated with the provincial government and were instructed to allow Didipio village officials to be present when the fuel is delivered.
Kasibu police said they informed Didipio barangay chairman Ereneo Bobola about their assignment. But they were confronted by the barricaders at 5:30 p.m. which the police quickly dispersed.
Julie Simongo, a Didipio councilwoman, said people who were driven away were “peacefully manning the barricade.” The deployment of a hundred policemen was an overkill, said Celia Bahag , another Didipio councilwoman on Tuesday.
