Notorious firm starts exploration in southern Iloilo
While our eyes are glued on the West Philippine Sea and we rage at alleged incursions and bullying by China, the latter in fact is steadily expanding its reach inland, thanks to the government that profligately grants it unlimited access to the Philippines' mineral resources.
Now that the cat is out of the bag officials of a southern Iloilo town are rattled after a broadcast station exposed that they allowed a Chinese mining firm to start exploration sans public consultation.
And they further owe the people of Igbaras town, 40 kilometers from Iloilo City, an explanation why they surreptiously let Century Peak come in hiding behind the legal veneer of constructing two dams for irrigation and electricity.
Bombo Radyo broke the news evening of June 3.
A mining license is supposed to undergo requisites of public consultations but in this case, it sailed on smoothly in cahoots with local officials in pulling the wool down the eyes of their constituents.
This writer earlier raised an alarm that the real purpose for the purpose of the entry of the Chinese firm is not to construct the dam. Century Peak is notorious for destroying the ecology and in using force to intimidate lumads and farmers in Mindanao. Its armed support consists of the Philippine Army and the Philippine National Police (PNP) on top of its array of private security armed with assault rifles and machine guns.
In fact, the rebel New People's Army (NPA) considers Century Peak a "legitimate target" of its armed attacks that it in fact carried out in several places in Mindanao.
"Watch out," warned Edmund Esporas, former vice mayor of Igbaras. "During our term, we only enacted a resolution of non-opposition to the proposed hydro project."
Added Esporas: "We have insiders telling us that Juvic and his cabal have surreptitiously modified our resolution.
Juvic is Vicente Escorpion, Jr., mayor of Igbaras.
Asked by Bombo Radyo why he allowed Century Peak to divert from its contract of building the dams, Escorpion answered: "That's not a problem after all, it's only an exploration."
Jaime Esmeralda, MD, former mayor of the mountain town, confirmed Esporas' statement. "We issued only a resolution favoring the hydro project but not for mining and not for any specific company like Century Peak," he said.
Exploration is the process of finding ores for mining. The mountains of Igbaras are rich in bauxite, copper and gold.
It's almost like mining where commercial extraction is allowed as shown in this webpage:
http://mcpharinternational.com/services/mining-exploration orhttps://www.google.com.ph/search?q=mining+exploration&newwindow=1&es_sm=122&tbm=isch&imgil=cVcmOvywp_ANLM%253A%253Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fencrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com%252Fimages%253Fq%253Dtbn%253AANd9GcTaBSvGj2hNBnfOcZXfrJ7zTG370YVILrdBVZ2B7KyiyEXczvivbg%253B644%253B344%253BFHa5dqe-cAp7tM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fmcpharinternational.com%25252Fservices%25252Fmining-exploration&source=iu&usg=__uBpKcaRHgVLBBVtIEXyBYKISJ5I%3D&sa=X&ei=qcqPU6WuKsXk8AWxqoGgAw&ved=0CEsQ9QEwAw&biw=1024&bih=475#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=cVcmOvywp_ANLM%253A%3BFHa5dqe-cAp7tM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fmcpharinternational.com%252Fuploads%252Fcategories%252F85e9e8fa739ed81b4ed6162899c8b3c9e0a88804_wide.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fmcpharinternational.com%252Fservices%252Fmining-exploration%3B644%3B344 .
Just click on it to view the despoliation it causes.
Indeed Escorpion and his cabal who won the 2013 elections through the controversial "Hocus PCOS" have a lot of explanation to do.
Now that the cat is out of the bag officials of a southern Iloilo town are rattled after a broadcast station exposed that they allowed a Chinese mining firm to start exploration sans public consultation.
And they further owe the people of Igbaras town, 40 kilometers from Iloilo City, an explanation why they surreptiously let Century Peak come in hiding behind the legal veneer of constructing two dams for irrigation and electricity.
Bombo Radyo broke the news evening of June 3.
A mining license is supposed to undergo requisites of public consultations but in this case, it sailed on smoothly in cahoots with local officials in pulling the wool down the eyes of their constituents.
This writer earlier raised an alarm that the real purpose for the purpose of the entry of the Chinese firm is not to construct the dam. Century Peak is notorious for destroying the ecology and in using force to intimidate lumads and farmers in Mindanao. Its armed support consists of the Philippine Army and the Philippine National Police (PNP) on top of its array of private security armed with assault rifles and machine guns.
In fact, the rebel New People's Army (NPA) considers Century Peak a "legitimate target" of its armed attacks that it in fact carried out in several places in Mindanao.
"Watch out," warned Edmund Esporas, former vice mayor of Igbaras. "During our term, we only enacted a resolution of non-opposition to the proposed hydro project."
Added Esporas: "We have insiders telling us that Juvic and his cabal have surreptitiously modified our resolution.
Juvic is Vicente Escorpion, Jr., mayor of Igbaras.
Asked by Bombo Radyo why he allowed Century Peak to divert from its contract of building the dams, Escorpion answered: "That's not a problem after all, it's only an exploration."
Jaime Esmeralda, MD, former mayor of the mountain town, confirmed Esporas' statement. "We issued only a resolution favoring the hydro project but not for mining and not for any specific company like Century Peak," he said.
Exploration is the process of finding ores for mining. The mountains of Igbaras are rich in bauxite, copper and gold.
It's almost like mining where commercial extraction is allowed as shown in this webpage:
http://mcpharinternational.com/services/mining-exploration orhttps://www.google.com.ph/search?q=mining+exploration&newwindow=1&es_sm=122&tbm=isch&imgil=cVcmOvywp_ANLM%253A%253Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fencrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com%252Fimages%253Fq%253Dtbn%253AANd9GcTaBSvGj2hNBnfOcZXfrJ7zTG370YVILrdBVZ2B7KyiyEXczvivbg%253B644%253B344%253BFHa5dqe-cAp7tM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fmcpharinternational.com%25252Fservices%25252Fmining-exploration&source=iu&usg=__uBpKcaRHgVLBBVtIEXyBYKISJ5I%3D&sa=X&ei=qcqPU6WuKsXk8AWxqoGgAw&ved=0CEsQ9QEwAw&biw=1024&bih=475#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=cVcmOvywp_ANLM%253A%3BFHa5dqe-cAp7tM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fmcpharinternational.com%252Fuploads%252Fcategories%252F85e9e8fa739ed81b4ed6162899c8b3c9e0a88804_wide.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fmcpharinternational.com%252Fservices%252Fmining-exploration%3B644%3B344 .
Just click on it to view the despoliation it causes.
Indeed Escorpion and his cabal who won the 2013 elections through the controversial "Hocus PCOS" have a lot of explanation to do.
This is real. I am a resident of Igbaras and I was looking for Century Peak's name through the net when I found this article. I intend to write an issue regarding the money "donated" by Century Peak on our barangay but in fact it is a payment for the quarrying they did in our river. Upon reading this i was alarmed. Yes many says it is not only a hydro power plant they are building but only a facade to lure and at the same time fool the residents with their sweet promise of enough electric supply. I feel ashamed how fool our governance could be and I am very much concerned about losing what beauty Igbaras have and would only be ruined because of this shameful people.
ReplyDeleteI've researched on these and found that Century Peak applied to construct a hydro power plant in the mountainous part of Igbaras and was approved during the term of Mayor Esmaralda the construction started during the term of Mayor Escorpion and might be completed and operational by the term of the next Mayor of Igbaras this May...and also during the term of Mayor Escorpion Emerald Mining Firm applied for exploration of some mountainous areas of Igbaras but before the application find it's footing they back out as objections are rushing like a flush flood in the whole town...and according to Mr. Pet Melliza Igbaras are rich in bauxite, ore and gold he uses the word rich indicative of abundance of the minerals, oh my where did he get his datas that many Igbarasnon also believed such ridiculous claimed and pointing to Century Peak's Hydro Power Plant Construction as front as their objective is to mine the areas they are contructing whereas the terrain of the area does not indicate the presence of bauxite, copper or gold and Mining these areas is tantamount to great losses and if Century Peak found to have violated their contract the construction will be stopped they can no longer make a returned of their investment at present may amount to more than a P100M...will Century Peak gamble on that?
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