August 11, 2003

MR. BEN RODRIGUEZ
Editor-in-Chief
Manila Bulletin
Intramuros, Manila
Fax No. 02-5277510

Dear Mr. Rodriguez:

This refers to the article “RP haunted by gold rush toxic legacy” written by Pricilla Arias and published in your newspaper on July 31, 2003, which raised certain issues that we would like to clarify. However, allow us first to rectify some inaccurate data cited in the article:

• The farthest mercury contamination recorded by the DENR and UNIDO on the waterbodies of Compostela Valley was 5 kilometers away from the confluence of the Naboc River and the Agusan River, more than 300 kilometers away from Butuan Bay, the nearest sea body from the Diwalwal Gold Rush Area. This is to say that at such distance, the mercury contamination could not have reached Butuan Bay, much less “impede navigation and turn it brown and black,” as how the article has described it.
• This was further proven by the water sampling conducted by the Marine Geology Division of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) in the Butuan Bay which found it negative of mercury contamination coming from Diwalwal.
• Hydraulicking is a form of mining method, not of mineral processing, hence, does not in anyway involve the use of mercury. Mercury is used during mineral processing where it is mixed with ground ores to produce amalgam. The most common method of processing gold that employs mercury in Diwalwal is ball milling and not the severely crude mill stamp method as cited in the article.
• The reported deaths due to mercury toxicity in Diwalwal, that in some newspapers were even quoted at about 5,000, is unfounded. Though there are reported chronic mercury intoxication among workers directly in-charge of gold processing, there is no clinical evidence that would cite mercury contamination as the cause of death by anyone in the Diwalwal Gold Rush Area. This was particularly noted in the mortality data processed by the Department of Health in Region 11, which have not reflected any death by such cause.

Nevertheless, the hazards posed to human health and the environment caused by unrestrained use of mercury in the last two decades of unregulated mining operation in the Diwalwal Gold Rush Area is a concern that the government has long tried to address.

As early as 1987, the government has formed an inter-agency team composed of the DOH, the Department of Agriculture, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the DENR as head, to implement the Mercury Surveillance Program in Diwalwal. Through the program, control measures on the use of mercury were conceived in the midst of its unregulated use, being then an over-the-counter item in the absence of a chemical control policy. It was through this program that the common tailings pond for the mineral processing in Diwalwal was first conceptualized.

During the late 80s, the DENR-MGB and the DOST have also introduced the use of retort, an environment-friendly gold-recovery tool, to the Diwalwal mining community. The MGB has also conducted continued on-site lectures on the proper use of mercury in gold processing.

As part of government's continuous efforts, the DENR has engaged the expertise of UNIDO (1999 and 2000) and the British Geological Survey (1995) which sponsored and led in carrying out what are now considered as the most comprehensive studies ever made on the status on the environmental condition, including the mercury contamination, in the controversial gold-rush area. These studies have critically led in the short and long-term measures crafted by the government to resolve this issue.

As a short-term approach, UNIDO itself, in conjunction with the local Halth Department, sponsored and conducted in 2000 the detoxification process for over a hundred Diwalwal residents and workers, who were earlier identified to have chronic traces of mercury toxicity.

The government takeover of Diwalwal last year, and the continuing reforms being implemented at present in the area is nonetheless part of the long-term solution that our government has decisively taken.

With government in full control of the area, the use of mercury will be well within standards standards set by existing environmental and safety rules and regulations. The DENR technical working group currently deployed in the area is strictly enforcing such policies, and any violation will be accordingly dealt with.

The improving water quality of Naboc River and Agusan River, based on the recent quarterly water samplings and assessments of the Environmental Management Bureau Regional Office and the MGB, is a clear proof of the strict enforcement of the aforementioned policies. This is a positive indication that the government is on the right track in terms of addressing the issue of mercury pollution in the area.

Another concrete measure is the impending construction of the Mabatas Tailings Dam, a P50-million engineered containment facility outfitted to prevent mercury contamination to water bodies and farmlands. The Mabatas Tailings Dam will definitely mark a new regime of a fully-rationalized mining operation in Diwalwal, where the protection of the environment and welfare of the people are given utmost regard.

Moreover, potential tie-up with international experts and funding agencies are also being looked into by the DENR for the rehabilitation of the Naboc River and other surrounding areas in Diwawal that were identified to be contaminated with mercury and other heavy metals.

With these, we need not stress that the government has never turned a blind eye on the mercury issue. We have long recognized the problem as well as the enormity of its consequences, and it is precisely the reason why the government is now in Diwalwal.

We hope you would give this clarification a space in your paper. Thank you for your attention.

Sincerely,

MA. LUISA L. JACINTO
Regional Director
MGB-Region 11