By XIAN PATRICIO
www.nordis.net

BAGUIO CITY — Six barangays in Sal-lapadan, Abra, have rejected the mining exploration application of Yamang Mineral Corporation during the ongoing Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) process.

On April 6, Barangays Bilabila, Saccaang, and Naguilian in Zone 3 were the first to vote against the company’s bid to conduct mineral exploration. The following day, barangays Gangal, Subusob, and Maguyepyep in Zone 1 also rejected the project.

Consensus-building assemblies in the three remaining barangays are scheduled to conclude on April 8.

Elders and community leaders have also raised concerns about allegations that company personnel approached individuals to solicit support for the project. They said they will protect their ancestral land and prevent its use for large-scale mining operations to keep the environment intact for future generations.

Yamang Mineral is a subsidiary of Metals Exploration PLC., a London-based mining company. Its application covers nearly 16,200 hectares of ancestral lands in Sallapadan, Licuan-Baay, Lacub, and Malibcong. Its sister company, Woggle Mining Company, also faces strong opposition in Dupax del Norte, Nueva Vizcaya, to its exploration activities.

Residents in the affected communities have earlier registered their opposition to the project in September during a meeting with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP). 

Earlier, environmental groups and the town of Licuan-Baay raised concerns about the NCIP limiting participation in the FPIC process to 10 representatives per barangay.

The Diocese of Bangued and the Regional Basic Sector Coordinating Council in the Cordillera, part of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), have also voiced their opposition to the project.#nordis.net