The Philippine Mining Development Corp. (PMDC) said it would demolish the batch-type mini CIP (Carbon in Pulp) and ball mills at the Diwalwal gold area after their owners failed to apply for relocation to Mabatas in Monkayo, Compostela Valley province.

The move came after the June 11 deadline set by PMDC for the owners to file an application to be relocated to the Mineral Processing Zone in Mabatas.

High mercury contamination levels at the Naboc River have prompted the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) to recommend the transfer of mineral processing from the gold rush area.

The MGB noted that the Mabatas processing zone remains the ideal site for mineral processing as it has a tailings containment facility, preventing the direct discharge of wastes from the plants to the waterways, including the Naboc River.

The P200-million Mabatas dam, established in 2003, has never been used by small-scale miners for gold processing, PMDC Alberto Sipaco told the local media during Monday’s Kapehan sa Dabaw.

Sipaco said 23 ball mills and CIP plants are actively operating in Diwalwal, but their owners have failed to apply for relocation on the last day of filing.

From 2003 to the present, a total of 333 CIP and ball mills have been operating in the area, 100 of which are already inactive or abandoned, while 210 have applied for relocation.

Sipaco vowed to implement PMDC’s mandate to clean Diwalwal of pollution and contamination. The PMDC spearheads the government’s initiative to develop the 8,100-hectare Diwalwal Mineral Reservation, including the Diwalwal gold rush area in Mt. Diwata, Compostela Valley. PNA

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