Mine firm stops Benguet operations

BAGUIO CITY—The tailings dam of gold producer Philex Mining Corp. in Itogon, Benguet, leaked silt and water on Thursday, confirming an alert sent by a Benguet resident through a text message, officials of the firm and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) said.

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

Lawyer Eduardo Aratas, Philex legal counsel, confirmed the leaks on Friday and said the firm had stopped mine and milling operations as early as Wednesday midnight to determine the state of the firm’s tailings pond and surrounding areas amid heavy and relentless rains in Benguet.

The bad weather led to “an unusual and heavy accumulation of rainwater in the tailings pond,” Aratas said in a statement released to the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) on Friday.

A company report to the PSE, signed by Renato Migriño, Philex senior vice president for finance, said: “Initial inspection showed that water and sediment are being discharged from one of the two underground tunnels that drain clear water from the penstock in the tailings pond … Philex wishes to assure the public that water and sediment from its tailings pond are safe and nontoxic, and that no injuries or fatalities have been reported as a result of this incident.”

Fay Apil, acting MGB Cordillera director, sent a team of government engineers to assess the damage to one of two Philex penstocks (a pipe system that controls run off-water flow). Rain water is flushed out of the tailings dam through a penstock.

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

Engineers were unable to access the area due to strong rains and a thick fog on Thursday.

But reports by Felizardo Gacad Jr., MGB Cordillera mining division chief, on Friday said the leaks may have already been plugged.

Aratas, in a statement, said: “Philex is exerting its maximum effort to address the accidental discharge, and has mobilized the requisite resources in this regard.”

“The mine will be closed to allow for a full assessment of the situation. Vincent Cabreza with a report from Gabriel Cardinoza, Inquirer Northern Luzon