MGB, Philex confirm mine waste discharge; dam leak plugged

FILE PHOTO

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines—The tailings dam of gold producer Philex Mining Corp. in Itogon, Benguet, accidentally discharged mine wastes and water into a river on Thursday, the company and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) confirmed Friday following an alert sent through text message by a Benguet resident.

The tailings dam contains chemical and other wastes disposed of in the course of a mining operation.

Fay Apil, acting director of Cordillera office of MGB, ordered Philex to cease operations at 8 p.m. Thursday. Apil said she was assured 10 hours earlier that the tailings pond was safe.

“But I was later told that the Philex engineers discovered a breach in the penstocks only when they realized that the volume of tailings (in the pond) started to drop, suggesting a leak,” she said. Tailings are fine, powdery mine wastes.

Apil said that she sent a team of government engineers to assess the damage to one of two Philex penstocks (a structure that controls water flow). Rain water, heavy during the monsoon season, is channeled out of the tailings dam through a penstock.

Reports by Felizardo Gacad Jr., MGB Cordillera mining division chief, showed that the leaks may have already been plugged, Apil said.

“Initial observations made by experts indicate that the leaked water was clear, so the silt (tailings) may have been contained,” she said.

Lawyer Eduardo Aratas, Philex legal counsel, confirmed the leak and said the company had stopped mine and milling operations as early as Wednesday  to determine the state of the tailings pond and the surrounding areas amid heavy and continuous rains in Benguet.

In a statement released to the Philippine Stock Exchange, Aratas said: “Philex is exerting its maximum effort to address the accidental discharge, and has mobilized the requisite resources in this regard. The company has reported the matter to the MGB on Aug. 2 [at] 3 p.m. MGB issued a cease operation order to Philex until such time that the safety and integrity of the tailings pond is assured. The mine will be closed to allow for a full assessment of the situation and the implementation of necessary remediation measures.”

In a text message on Friday, Aratas said Philex president Eulalio Austin Jr. went to the mine site to inspect the damage. MGB Director Leo Jasareno also went to Philex on Friday to investigate the accident.

The leaked mine waste was believed to have flowed into the Ballog River which feeds into the Agno River.

Anything discharged through Agno River is caught by the San Roque Dam in San Manuel, Pangasinan, which opened a gate on Thursday night to release water.

But information from San Roque dam personnel showed the water released from the dam was clear, Apil said.