Close Albay mining project, urge environmental groups

Environmental groups demanded yesterday the permanent closure of a mining facility on Rapu-Rapu Island in Albay, expressing discontent over the mere suspension of its operations after its waste water was suspected of killing fish last Oct. 31.

Clemente Bautista Jr., convenor of Defend Patrimony! Alliance, said the mining venture of Lafayette Mining Ltd. of Australia should have not been approved in the first place.

Apart from being a small island ecosystem, Bautista said Rapu-Rapu is, in fact, reeling from the environmental and health impacts of previous large-scale mining operations.

Besides, he claimed that the locals have not consented to the Lafayette gold, silver, copper and zinc exploration on the island.

"The Lafayette mine tailings and cyanide spills in Rapu-Rapu are a glaring proof that there is no such thing as responsible and sustainable mining under the mining liberalization policies and large-scale mining projects of the government and its foreign partners," Clemente said.

"(The) Lafayette mining (venture) presents a clear and present danger to the people and environment. They must pull out of Rapu-Rapu," he added.

Fr. Felino Bugauisan, assistant parish priest and coordinator of Sagip Isla, also said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) should not have only suspended the operations of Lafayette but must order its permanent closure to prevent a repeat of a Marcopper-Placer Dome tragedy in Marinduque years ago.

Sagip Isla is a local alliance in Rapu-Rapu which has opposed the Lafayette project.

"The mine tailings and cyanide spills validated our concerns that the Lafayette mining operation will not bring progress but death and destruction to our lives and communities," Bugauisan said.

Bugauisan also disputed Lafayette’s report that the Oct. 31 spills were lesser than what happened on Oct. 11.

"The extent of the fish kills that happened after the Oct. 31 incident affected a larger area and resulted in the death of a greater number of fish and marine organisms," he said.

Fish kills were reported in three villages, namely Binosawan, Pagcolbon and Malobago.

The Rapu-Rapu District Hospital has advised the locals to refrain from eating fish and other edible marine organisms from the affected areas.

An environmental fact-finding mission, composed of local environmental groups, has been organized to investigate the Rapu-Rapu incident.

Based on the joint investigation of the DENR’s Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) and Environmental Management Bureau on Nov. 4-5, heavy rains last Oct. 31 prompted Lafayette to construct drain canals in its upper and lower tailing storage facilities in order to release excess water and effluents, thus probably affecting the integrity of its dam.

The investigation showed that effluents from the tailings pond overflowed into the settling and polishing ponds, eventually draining into the Ungay and Hollowstone creeks.

Laboratory analysis showed that water samples taken from the creeks had an elevated level of cyanide, which could have affected the marine life in the immediate vicinity of the Ungay and Hollowstone creeks.

The DENR investigation also noted Lafayette’s failure to maintain the freeboard requirement for the dam and predict the volume of materials from the surface runoff and tailings that resulted in the breaching of the dam.

"Based on the results of the joint investigation, it can be deduced that the company was not able to contain the events that led to the breaching of the dam level, which resulted in the unauthorized release of effluent and contaminated with cyanide the surrounding water bodies, posing a threat to human and marine life," the MGB said in a statement.

The MGB-Region 5 ordered Lafayatte to suspend its milling operations until appropriate mitigation measures are put in place.