By Leander C. Domingo | The Manila Times | October 31, 2021

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya: Joining the nation in celebrating the 32nd National Statistics Month of October, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MBG) in Region 2 (Cagayan Valley) said the mining industry in the region has contributed to the economy amid the pandemic.

With this year’s theme, “Revving up for Economic and Social Recovery through Evidence-Based Policies,” Engr. Mario Ancheta, MGB Region 2 director, said the people in Cagayan Valley should also be informed of how the mining industry is faring and contributing to the economy.

Ancheta said Cagayan Valley, which comprises the four provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino, and the island province of Batanes, with an area of 28,228.83 square kilometers, has a total of 2.98 million hectares of the land area mapped with mineral potential.

The region has four cities, 89 municipalities and 2,311 barangay (villages), and a population of 3.6 million with a +1.3 percent growth rate (2020). The major economic activities are agriculture, mining, fishing, tourism, trade and industry, and services.

“Of the land area with mineral potential, a total of 64,753 hectares is covered by approved mining rights including quarry sites as of 2020,” Ancheta said.

He said the mining industry in the region has direct employment of 1,553 for the three large-scale mining contractors as of December 2020.

In Nueva Vizcaya, the national government mineral resources development projects are the Australian OceanaGold Philippines Inc.’s Didipio Copper-Gold Project in the upland town of Kasibu and the British FCF Minerals Corp.’s Runruno Gold-Molybdenum Project in Quezon town.

In Isabela, the Dinapigue Mining Corp.’s Isabela Nickel Mining Project operates in the coastal town of Dinapigue in Isabela province.

Based on records released by the MGB Region 2, OceanaGold paid P33,065,860 in national taxes and fees and P22,914,191 in excise tax for 2020, which included payments made under protest for both taxes.

The company also paid P142.49 million in local taxes and fees based on the 2020 annual report on taxes, fees and royalties paid and withheld.

Ancheta noted that under OceanaGold’s social development and management program for 2020, a total of P181.16 million was committed by the company for the development of its host and neighboring communities and P108.745 million for environmental protection and rehabilitation.

On the other hand, Ancheta said FCF Minerals recorded a total export of 7,152.40 kilograms of gold and silver for 2020.

He said FCF Minerals has paid P353,015,486.89 in national taxes and fees, P242,840,602.89 in excise tax and P108,608,533.40 in local taxes and fees for 2020 based on the annual report on taxes, fees and royalties paid and withheld.

In its SDMP for 2020, FCF Minerals has committed a total amount of P65,317,915.76 for the development of its host and neighboring communities while P329,986,306 was also committed by the company under its environmental protection and rehabilitation program.

Ancheta explained that the Mineral Statistics under the MGB’s Mining Tenement Evaluation Section is responsible for generating essential statistics required for social and economic planning.

“It establishes priorities for data production and hence provides a means for more rational resource allocation among government statistical activities. It also identifies the sources of official statistics,” Ancheta said.

Source: The Manila Times