Daraga, ALBAY (July 28, 2003) – Four (4) mining firms in Bicol have reforested and maintained about 42 hectares of mined-out and disturbed areas in support of the re-greening program Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), an evaluation report prepared by the regional office of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB-V) here showed.

MGB Region V Director (RD) Reynulfo A. Juan said the report was based on the firms’s compliance with the Adopt-a-Mountain, Adopt-A-Mining Forest Program for the period July to December 2002. Under Republic Act 7942 or the Philippine Mining Act 1995, the program mandates all mining firms to conduct reforestation and afforestation of mined-out areas, slopes, decommissioned tailings pond, causeways and waste dumps and vacant lots within mining and adjoining communities.

“With the accomplishments of the four mining firms alone, more than 20,000 trees have been added to the minerals sector’s contribution to the re-greening program of the government,” RD Juan said.

Earlier, DENR Secretary Elisea Gozun had said the government is targeting 1 million trees from the minerals sector for this year through the Adopt-a-Mountain, Adopt-a-Mining Forest program. Secretary Gozun also encouraged mining and quarry companies all over the country to establish wider mining forests to augment its re-greening program.

RD Juan said the 4 firms were United Paragon Mining Corp. (UPMC) in Longos, Paracale, Camarines Norte; Ibalong Resources and Development Corp./Goodfound Cement Corp. (IRDC/GCC) in Barangay Palanog, Camalig, Albay; Johnson Gold Mining Corp., (JGMC) in Luklukan Norte, Jose Panganiban Camarines Norte; and Filminera Resources Corp. (FRC) in Bari-is, Aroroy, Masbate.

As per evaluation, UPMC has reforested a total of 6.83 has. of old tailings pond, abandoned drill pads/sites and vacant lots within its mine site with some 18,732 seedlings of Agoho, Acacia, Narra, Gmelina species. The evaluation report showed 12, 782 seedlings survived and were growing vigorously for a record of 68% survival rate.

UPMC maintained 800 sq. m. nursery within its mine site with a capacity of 20,000 seedlings and at present some 2,700 seedlings of Agoho, Acacia, Gmelina, and Narra species are being grown for replanting the company’s old tailings pond, abandoned drill sites, and vacant lots.

IRDC/GCC, on the other hand, has successfully reforested three (3) hectares of disturbed land near the plant site and around the company’s mine site, access roads, and in the Quibongbongan Creek excluding some 7.6 hectares of land inside the plant premises with 4,650 seedlings of Acacia, Mahogany, Narra, Agoho, Bamboo, Gmelina, Hybrid Coconut, Talisay, and fruit-bearing tree species. The survival rate was 80% or about 4,480 trees.

The IRDC/GCC acquires its seedling requirement from Albay Provincial Environment Office (PENRO) of the DENR in Legazpi City, Bicol University’s College of Agriculture and Forestry (BUCAF) in Guinobatan, Albay, and the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) in Legazpi City.

JGMC, for its part, has also reforested some 1.835 has. of disturbed areas near and inside its plant premises with Agoho, Mahogany, and fruit-bearing trees. The company maintained its own 80 sq. m. nursery inside the plant site which is capable of producing 7,000 seedlings.

Meanwhile, FRC has also reforested a total of 30 has. of disturbed areas near and inside its plant premises with over 3,400 trees that include Gmelina, Acacia, Narra, Giant Ipil-ipil, and fruit-bearing trees. FRC had utilized a vacant old house within its premises as a temporary nursery in growing Gmelina, Acacia, Narra, and fruit-bearing trees for re-planting.

The reforestation and afforestation project of FRC (formerly Atlas Consolidated Mining and Development Corp.) has been in existence since 1981, while UPMC has been reforesting its mined-out areas since 1988. JGMC and IRDC/GCC, on the other hand, have been doing its reforestation program in line with the Adopt-a-Mountain, Adopt-a-Mining Forest Program since 1999 and 2002, respectively.

The MGB, through its regional offices nationwide, ensures the compliance of mining companies to the Program through regular monitoring and evaluation conducted by its environment officers. The MGB evaluates the companies’s accomplishments based on a five-point criteria—the companies’ long and short-term development plan; nursery operation; extent of planted areas in relation to disturbed areas by the mining operation; maintenance; and protection. Other environmental factors such as services to communities and species diversity to maintain the local biodiversity are also considered. (Region 5)