CITY OF TABUK, Kalinga (PIA) - - The Makilala Mining Company Inc. (MMCI) management led by its President and Chairman Atty. Julito Sarmiento recently met with officials and representatives from government agencies, Apostolic Vicariate of Tabuk-Social Action Center and military personnel to present the Maalinao–Caigutan-Biyog (MCB) Mining Project in Balatoc, Pasil.
The project covers a total area of 2,500.82 hectares, an environmental compliance certificate (ECC) area of 480 hectares and primary impact area of 31.83 hectares. MCB Mining Project has already obtained Environment Compliance Certificate and is now on the pre-development permitting stage. Application for Mineral Production and Sharing Agreement has been submitted and currently undergoing evaluation. Exploration works were conducted from 2006 to 2020 and commercial production is targeted to start by 2025.
Discussed during the forum held on July 26 at Golden Berries Hotel were the company’s safeguards to environmental issues and possible damages to agricultural lands in Tabuk City.
MMCI management vouched to practice responsible mining in the area. The officials assured there will be no tailings dam and they will minimize project footprint, avoid economic, physical, and cultural displacement impacts, and integrate measures to address current community and environmental issues which include establishment of flood control system and non-encroachment to adjacent tenement.
They reported that the company introduced Environmental Measures Integrated in the mine design with a technology designed to be developed and operated through a sublevel open stopping mining method with paste backfill and hydraulic fill.
MMCI said about 70 percent of the tailings will be processed as backfill materials for mined-out areas underground, thus, eliminating the need for a tailings dam removing the possibility of environmental impacts (tailings spill). Excess tailings could be utilized for various purposes such as dry stacking, hallow block manufacturing as community livelihood, road base, landfill, among others.