By Jonathan L. Mayuga

Over 70 civil-society organizations and groups advocating ocean conservation have expressed opposition to the proposed offshore mining by JDVC Resources Corp. in Cagayan province.

In a position paper circulated to the media, the position paper’s signatories who call themselves “custodian of the Philippine seas” listed a number of reasons why offshore mining should not be allowed.

An offshore mining, particularly targeting magnetite sand or black sand in Cagayan, pose serious geologic hazards, they argued.

The groups were referring to the company’s approved permit for the large-scale mining of magnetite which it intends to export.

In a telephone interview on Monday, Jun Herrera, JDVC Resources Corp., and APL Consultant said environmental concerns raised by various quarters have been addressed by the company.

“We’ve already answered queries concerning their environmental concerns,” he said.

A January 29, 2021 statement issued by the JDVC and APL also quoted Herrera as stating that commercial operations of the project will push through this month as the first newly built deep-sea mining vessel capable of commercial extraction, testing, and sampling, and production of magnetite iron, has arrived in the country. Three more are expected to arrive this year.

APL insisted there’s no basis on the complaint from residents of Ballesteros, Cagayan, as well as allegations that the operation will cause damage to coral beds.

“We won’t be even mining in the waters. In the first place, our mining operation will be in the waters of Buguey and Gonzaga towns, and at a distance of over 14 kilometers. That’s more than two horizon lengths away from the shoreline,” Herrera was quoted as saying in the statement.

To be jointly undertaken by JDVC Resources Corp, a subsidiary of publicly listed company, Apollo Global Capital and food entrepreneur Frank Lao of the Choi Garden restaurant group, the project aims to extract an estimated 512 million metric tons of magnetite and other minerals. It has a mine life of up to 47 years, according to a JDVC in a statement on December 7, 2020.

Declared as the largest offshore mining project to date in the Philippines, the company said in a statement and news reports posted in its web site that JDVC’s extraction of iron ores would require siphon vessels with magnetic separator and processing apparatuses on board which would not cause any hazard to the environment.

Investments for the project estimated to reach P720 million.

Source: Business Mirror