The eight mining groups, which have been illegally operating in the area since the early 1980s, are Bullex Mining Development Cooperative (Bullex MDC), Mountain View MDC, Hillside MDC, BBL MDC, Prism MDC, Blue Mountain MDC, Buscor MDC and Fox MDC.
The Southern Mindanao office of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) said the contracts will, in effect, be the first step in legalizing mining operations at Mt. Diwalwal.
The grantees are all members of the Monkayo Integrated Small-Scale Miners Association (MISSMA), comprised of various mining groups in the area with close to 30,000 miners.
Mining activities at Mt. Diwalwal have long been marred by a protracted legal dispute between MISSMA and the Southeast Multinational Mining Corp. (SEM) over territorial claims. The Supreme Court has yet to resolve the case. — Edith Regalado