Benguet Corp. denies raps on Zambales mining operation

Benguet Corp. has denied allegations of officials of Sta. Cruz, Zambales that its mining operation in the province has damaged the environment.

In a statement, Benguet Corp. stressed that it has an approved mineral production sharing agreement covering 1,400 hectares in Barangay Guisguis, Sta. Cruz town, but that it has not yet started production as it is still waiting for additional permits.

An article that appeared in a national daily (not The STAR) last April 2 claimed that residents of Sta. Cruz had appealed to the national government to stop the company’s mining activity due to its alleged ill-effects to the environment.

The article quoted Sta. Cruz Mayor Luisito Marty as saying that residents along the shoreline and in inner villages had complained about the company’s operations.

But Benguet Corp. stressed that since it has not yet started mining, it could not be blamed for the mine tailings and other effluents that had allegedly polluted waterways and destroyed vegetation.

The company added that a team from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau which recently went to Sta. Cruz to investigate the complaint of environmental damage by Danilo Merced, chairman of Barangay Lomboy that is adjacent to Guisguis, where the company’s project is located, found the grievance baseless.