Mining firm in Palawan faces another stop order
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY—Saying that the Ipilan Nickel Corp. (INC) continues to defy an existing cease-and-desist order (CDO), the local government of Brooke’s Point municipal is set to serve another stoppage order against the mining firm next week, according to the local officials. For two months now, INC has refused to acknowledge the first CDO issued by the local government and another order from the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) for the company to stop its operation at Barangay Maasin in the southern Palawan town. The NCIP earlier issued a CDO against INC citing the company’s failure to secure the necessary Certificate of Precondition (CP) and Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), among others. INC, however, disputed this. In a statement, Vice Mayor Mary Jean Feliciano said antimining residents would accompany local officials in serving the CDO as they condemned the company for its “utter disregard of the first CDO of the LGU (local government unit) and the [NCIP].” Feliciano said they already placed tarpaulins bearing the announcement of the issuance of a CDO on the premises of INC. “But the guards just waited for us to leave before tearing down the tarpaulins. The CDO was issued by NCIP and LGU last August,” she said. By allegedly not complying with the CDO, “INC only shows that it has no respect for the law at all,” the vice mayor stressed, adding that the firm would still be subjected to legal action. “They (INC) openly defied government legal orders. Because of this, we are reinforcing our order against INC. We are putting up another notice, a second CDO, as we demand that INC immediately stop its illegal mining operations,” Feliciano said. Accountability She added: “Ipilan Nickel should be warned that they will be held accountable for their continued defiance of the LGU and NCIP’s order. The residents of Brooke’s Point will not tolerate the illegal operations of INC, which not only harm our environment and natural resources but continue to threaten people’s livelihoods.” The Inquirer on Friday tried to reach Michael Bacaser, INC spokesperson, but he did not respond to text messages. Jaybee Garganera, national coordinator of antimining group Alyansa Tigil Mina, also criticized INC “for disrespecting the authority of NCIP and the LGU” by not complying with the CDO. “INC is acting like a bully even when it is clearly violating mining laws. If it is unable to abide by the
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