Saturday, September 23, 2006 Mines bureau urged to check on firm's application By Jane Cadalig
FINDING no basis at this time to act on a petition opposing an alleged mining application in Barangay Ampucao, Itogon, town officials on Friday asked the Mines and Geo-sciences Bureau (MGB) to confirm if there are applications filed by Benguet Corporation (BC) covering the area.
Residents and officials of the barangay earlier sought the assistance of the Municipal Council of Itogon in opposing BC's alleged Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) application in the village.
In a resolution, the Municipal Council said it could not act on the petition in the absence of a proof that the mining firm really applied for an MPSA before the MGB-Cordillera, hence the inquiry.
"It was noted that the alleged application of BC is not attached in the (barangay) resolution, as a basis for this body to make a sound legislative action (on the opposition)," the legislative body added.
Based on earlier MGB records, the agency reported that there are nine applications for MPSAs covering the different areas in the region. Applications for exploration permits, meanwhile, were reported to have reached 75 as of April based on the records of the Cordillera Peoples Alliance.
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