The report on the newly-discovered gold rush site in Mt. De Oro in Barangay Barile, Maco, Compostela Valley is more of a media hype than a mine of gold deposits that it was previously believed.
More than 6,000 small scale miners have already flocked to the area since February this year when news of the gold mining site first broke out.
Stories of Mt. De Oro consistently coming out in the media prodded miners and financiers to stake their lot in the new gold rush site.
"It is all hype. Based on the initial geological assessment that was conducted, it showed that the actual gold deposit in the area is not really that large," Mines and Geo-Sciences Bureau (MGB) Region XI chief Malou Jacinto told The STAR.
Yes, there is a gold deposit but it is not that much," Jacinto said, adding that the MGB is awaiting the results of further studies done on the geological properties of Mt. De Oro.
Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Eliza Gozun last week ordered a 45-day moratorium on all mining activities in Mt. De Oro following fears of landslides and other disasters that might befall the miners who have managed to dig more than 1,000 tunnels, exceeding the 80 that was initially allowed.
The 45-day moratorium prohibited not only mining activities but also the wanton cutting of trees in the area being explored by the miners. Ballmills and other gold processing facilities that were already put up were also ordered immediately dismantled.
The reported gold deposit in Mt. De Oro has also triggered certain conflicts not only among the small-scale miners who are fighting over patches of land they could explore but also spawned overlapping claims between North Davao Mining Corporation and Apex Mining Company. Both firms are involved in a legal tussle as to who is the rightful claimant to Mt. De Oro.
The adjacent towns of Maco and Mabini have likewise figured in another conflicting claim on which side Mt. De Oro really belongs to since certain parts of the goldrush area are located in either municipalities.
The Southern Mindanao police command has established a joint task force with the Army’s 60th Infantry Battalion to secure Mt. De Oro.