Mindoro officials give Crew mining firm a breather

The mining firm Crew scored points recently with the express agreement of Oriental Mindoro Vice Gov. Tady Venturanza and Provincial Board Member Leopoldo Malapitan to study the Canadian company’s Mindoro nickel project before the board passes a resolution approving or disapproving it.

The $700-million project was earlier stopped by the cancellation by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources of the Mineral Sharing Production Agreement (MPSA).

Venturanza told a press conference at the media center in Calapan: "We should be open-minded and listen to all information on the project before we decide whether the province and mining site are going to be benefited by it."

The cancellation of the MPSA stopped the exploration study of the company, which started the project in the Kisluyan area in Calapan through another firm nine years earlier. Crew bought the company 20 months ago and Aglubang Mining Corp., which is 40-percent owned by Crew, signed an MPSA with the national government.

It is believed that the cancellation was urged by local anti-mining advocates who had not been informed of the policies of the Canadian firm.

It has not been understood, for example, that Crew is only in the exploratory stage and will go into full mining operation only after the feasibility study shows positive amounts of minerals to be extracted and the approval of the local residents.

Venturanza said he learned from Canadian embassy officials that the company would need two to three years to complete the exploratory study.

Crew operates in Canada, Greenland, Norway and South Africa, extracting such minerals as nickel, gold, copper and zinc with the highest internationally-accepted technologies that are environment-friendly and benefiting the people in the areas where they are found.