Philex plugs Padcal mine tailings leakage

Manila, Philippines -  Environment officials confirmed yesterday that the leakage from the broken tailings pond of Philex Mining Corp.’s Padcal copper-gold mine has been plugged. A second team will then be dispatched to the mine site to determine the extent of the damage, the cost of rehabilitation and the violations, if any, committed by the firm.

“The leak has been plugged. It is holding on,” Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) director Leo Jasareno said in a phone interview.

He confirmed that the water and sediment that leaked from the damaged tailings pond does not contain toxic chemicals but laboratory testing will nonetheless be conducted.

“The sediment that leaked is non-toxic. They do not fall under toxic substances identified in the law. But even so, there will be an effect,” he said.

The assessment that will be conducted by the MGB and the Environment Management Bureau is expected to be wrapped up within one week.

Environment Secretary Ramon Paje said that while the extent of damage to aquatic resources in the Agno and Balog rivers are still being determined, the spillage would definitely cause damage even if the chemicals present in the spillage are non-toxic.

“Definitely there is (damage to aquatic resources in Balog and Agno (rivers). But we are determining if the spillage has already reached the San Roque Dam. As of yesterday, it still hasn’t,” he said. 

Paje said the MGB is also conducting aerial surveillance of the affected areas.

So far, no human casualties were reported.

“Benguet governor Nestor Fongwan was able to issue an early warning to his constituents,” said Paje.

Philex Mining said over the weekend that the release of water and sediment from the broken tailings pond No. 3 of its Padcal mine had been contained. Since the mine was shut down on Aug. 1, no tailings were added to the pond.

Philex said emergency response procedures will continue to ensure that only minimal damage occurs to communities.

Philex said the breakage in its tailings pond could have been caused by heavy rains dumped by typhoons Ferdie and Gener.

In a press conference last Friday, Philex Mining chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan said the suspension of the operations in the Padcal copper-gold mine would entail losses of P30 million to P40 million per day.

The company would also not be able to make shipments by September. The last shipment that will be made by Philex will be on Aug. 7.

The Padcal copper-gold mine produces 150,000 tons of concentrate and 26,000 tons of ore.

Pangilinan said Philex has taken out a $50-million environmental insurance coverage and a $30-million business interruption insurance to cover the cost of the incident.

Meanwhile, the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines (COMP) yesterday expressed support for the efforts exerted by Philex Mining in containing the ill-effects of the tailings spill.

“The Chamber of Mines of the Philippines supports the management and staff of Philex Mining Corp. in their ongoing efforts to remedy the accidental discharge of non-toxic water and sediments from the company’s Padcal Project in Benguet Province,” it said in a statement.

“The discharge from the mine facility was quickly stopped because of the timely and appropriate steps that the company has taken,” it added.

In an official statement issued yesterday, Philex Mining said it will continue to work with the government in addressing the incident in Padcal mine and will not resume operations until the rehabilitation measures have been put in place.

“We have been coordinating closely with government officials, and we can assure the public that we will not reopen Padcal Mine until after we have assessed the damage and put in place rehabilitation measures,” said Michael T. Toledo, senior vice-president for corporate affairs at Philex Mining.

Pangilinan said the company’s response procedures continue. “We are also taking steps to ensure least damage to the lower barangays and to the environment,” he said. “After this problem is fixed, we are obligated to resore the environment, and provide restitution to those whose lives may have been affected,” he stressed. – With Michael Punongbayan and Artemio Dumlao