(The Philippine Star) | Updated July 24, 2013
- 12:00am
MANILA,
Philippines - Still in the exploration stage, Intex Resources Philippines, Inc.
has spent – from 2008 up to June this year – over P140 million for
environmental protection and management initiatives for its Mindoro nickel
project .
A huge portion
of these expenses was disbursed in 2008 and 2009 at the height of Intex’s
exploration and drilling activities in portions of its property, which
straddles the provinces of Oriental Mindoro and Occidental Mindoro. Through its
innovative design and unique process solutions, the Mindoro nickel project is
expected to set new standards for the nickel industry with its unprecedented
low-carbon emissions, independence of fossil fuels, and exceptionally low
environmental impact.
“With the end in view of systematically and
effectivelymitigating the potential impacts of minerals exploration and,
subsequently, development, on both the environment and host communities, Intex
commissioned a thorough assessment or baseline study of Mindoro,” Leo Cleto
Gamolo, Intex president said.
“The study
was conducted by a host of Filipino and foreign experts, including
environmental engineers, botanists, mining engineers, environmental project
managers, biologists, social scientists, hydrologists, and agro-foresters,
among others.
The baseline
study was led by the University of the Philippines Los Baños Foundation, Inc.
for an inventory of the island’s flora and fauna.
Lichtel
Technologies, Inc., on the other hand, undertook the comprehensive social and
environmental studies, which became the cornerstone of MNP’s environmental
impact study (EIS).
The EIS
provides the framework for, among others, Intex’s environmental management
plan, which identifies the predicted impacts, the mitigating and enhancement
measures, the responsible parties that will implement the mitigating measures,
the schedule of implementation, and the guarantees or programs that will
address the impacts.
The
environmental protection and management measures encompass all stages of the
mine life – from exploration, development, construction, commissioning
operation, and decommissioning and total rehabilitation.
These
measures include land, water, air and noise pollution control, soil loss and
erosion management, rehabilitation and reforestation, and environmental
monitoring.
“Intex has
also taken an interest in helping solve Mindoro’s perennial flooding problems -
a major concern that has antedated our exploration activities on the island,”
Gamolo adds.
Our company
commissioned Phillips Technical Consultants Corp., the consulting arm of the FF
Cruz Corp; as well as DHI Water and Environment SdnBhd, a leading international
expert on water management, to conduct flood study for the Bucayao, Panggalaan
and Mag-asawangTubig Rivers in Oriental Mindoro.”
In 2009,
Intex constructed Gabion protection dike structures worth P10 million for the
people of Barangay Alcate,Victoria, Oriental Mindoro to avoid further
deterioration of the road leading to communities in the municipality, which
have been seriously damaged by previous floods.
The company
spent an additional P29million for an
in-depth study by independent experts and scientists fromGolder Associates PTY
Ltdto determine the real cause of flooding in Mindoro Island. The completed
study has since been turned over to local government officials.
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