Didipio residents stage barricade as Oceanagold continues operation sans license

Didipio residents stage barricade as Oceanagold continues operation sans license

“The ongoing barricade by the affected citizens in Nueva Vizcaya echoes the battle that we’ve been long fighting. We want them gone and be held liable for their atrocities…”

By JOHN AARON MARK MACARAEG
Bulatlat.com

MANILA — The continuous operation of mining company Oceanagold, despite the expiration of its financial and technical assistance agreement (FTAA) , forced the residents and village officials of Didipio, Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya to set up a barricade, July 1.

A day before the expiration of its FTAA, Oceanagold sent a letter to Didipio’s village council, June 21, citing Section 18 of Executive Order 292 or the Administrative Code. It states that existing licenses shall not expire until the application for renewal has been finally determined.

But before setting up the barricade, the provincial government of Nueva Vizcaya already issued June 27 an order restraining the operation of the Australian-Canadian mining corporation.

Environmental activists headed by Kalikasan People’s Network Alliance for the Environment (Kalikasan PNE) trooped to the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) July 2 to support the ongoing barricade.

(Read story…)