Public consultations on Tampakan project start

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines – Sagittarius Mines Inc. (SMI) has announced the start of a series of public consultation meetings as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process for its proposed Tampakan copper-gold project in southern Mindanao.

During the next two weeks, SMI will present its draft Mine Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to community stakeholders, including details of the potential environmental and social impacts of the proposed mining operation as well as its comprehensive mitigation strategies for managing these impacts.

The public consultation meetings are slated in the Tampakan project’s four host municipalities on the following dates: Sept. 6, Tampakan, South Cotabato; Sept. 8, Kiblawan, Davao del Sur; Sept. 13, Malungon, Sarangani; and Sept. 15, Columbio, Sultan Kudarat.

SMI’s latest round of stakeholder consultations has been ongoing since June, during which time the company has consulted with more than 2,000 individuals from 64 stakeholder groups in private meetings to gather feedback and comments on the draft EIS.

Stakeholder input gathered from both the private and public consultation meetings will be considered prior to the formal submission of the EIS to the government later this year to support an application for the mine’s environmental compliance certificate.

SMI president Peter Forrestal said the release of the mine’s EIS last June marked a milestone for SMI and its stakeholders.

“We have consulted extensively with our host communities and other key stakeholders over the past two years regarding our plans for the project,” he said.

“In 2009, stakeholder input was sought for the development of the proposed mine plan and EIS through a series of private consultation meetings and four public scoping meetings.

“This feedback, together with the results of our EIA studies, was incorporated into our project designs and management plans which have been developed in accordance with leading environmental and industry practices,” he added.

Forrestal said, “We look forward to receiving further feedback from our stakeholders over the coming weeks in order to finalize the EIS for formal submission to the Philippine government later this year.

“If approved, we believe the Tampakan project will be a blueprint for ethical modern mineral development in the Philippines and represents an unprecedented opportunity for the Philippines to benefit from its natural resources,” he added.

Separate environmental impact assessment studies for related off-site infrastructure, including a power station, port facility, transmission lines and concentrate pipeline, are currently underway and are expected to be completed in 2012.