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Tuesday, June 07, 2005
Gold rush site mulled as reservation area
By Ben O. Tesiorna
THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is planning to declare the Kalinawan gold rush site in Manay, Davao Oriental as a mineral reservation area.
Mines and Geosciences Bureau 11 acting Regional Director Edilberto Arreza said DENR Secretary Mike Defensor might soon issue and administrative order declaring such.
Arreza said this is part of their grand plan to revitalize the mining industry and one way of preventing chaos in the area.
It was learned that there are already about 2,000 small-scale miners now operating within the approximately 2,000 hectares Kalinawan gold rush area.
Arreza said that once Kalinawan is declared a mineral reservation area no mining company could claim rights over the area but the government alone.
He said just like in Diwalwal, miners would be given service contracts by the government for them to be allowed to mine in the gold rush site.
Arreza however clarified that they are also studying other options aside from declaring the area as mineral reservation.
Among these options, he said, is declaring it as "Minahan ng Bayan" or by issuing mining permits to the small-scale miners.
Arreza said they are now conducting studies in the area to determine the amount of gold reserves in the area. Unconfirmed reports claimed that the Kalinawan gold is of higher grade compared to that in Diwalwal.
On the other hand, Arreza denied earlier reports that rebels are barricading the Kalinawan area preventing authorities from entering the gold site.
"Kay sa pagkahibalo nako nakasulod man gihapon ang among team didto sa area (Our team is still able to visit the area)," Arreza said.
Sometime last month, unconfirmed reports claimed that a composite team of the New People's Army and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front set up barricades around Kalinawan area preventing government soldiers and agencies from entering the area.
The military however denied such report earlier claiming that they have set up a detachment in the Kilanwan area to secure and maintain peace and order therein.
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (June 7, 2005 issue)
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