UPDATE: Kalagayan sa isla ng Rapu Rapu

"Cyanide Detoxification?"
(kuha noong Sept. 3, 2008)
Hanggang ngayon, naglalagay ng ganitong klaseng bagay ang bagong pamunuan ng minahan sa mga creek malapit sa minahan
Kuha ng: Kalikasan People's Network for the Environment

(Malobago) kuha noong Sept. 3, 2008
Tuyong Lupa at mainit na kapaligiran: Ito ang kalagayan sa lugar malapit sa minahan
Kuha ng: Kalikasan People's Network for the Environment

Ang larawan ay kuha noong Sept. 3, 2008 sa isa sa mga creek malapit sa minahan
Kuha ng: Kalikasan People's Network for the Environment

Dahil sa samasamang pagkilos ng mamamayan at sa kanilang militanteng paglaban sa mapanira mapangwasak sa kalikasang minahan ng Lafayette Mining, napatalsik nito ang Lafayette Mining sa isla ng Rapu Rapu. Subalit magkagayon man, may panibagong korporasyon na bumili dito upang ipagpatuloy ang pagsira at walang pakundangang nakawin ang atin likas na yamang mineral ang LGI, KORES at MALAYSIAN SMELTING Corp.

Hanggang sa ngayon, hirap ang mga mangingisda na makahuli ng sapat para sa pang arw araw nilang pamumuhay.

Patuloy ang konstruksyon ng minahan tuwing tanghali 12nn at 430pm ay nakakarinig ang mga mamamayan sa barangay malobago ng malakas na pagsabog o blastin. subalit ayon sa bagong pamunuan ng minahan wala pa daw silang Operasyon

Experts find no scientific basis for Rapu-Rapu reopening

March 22, 2007

Experts find no scientific basis for Rapu-Rapu mine re-opening

Unscientific, haphazard, and fraught with technical loopholes.

Thus concluded a member of the four-person panel of independent experts which recently scrutinized the DENR's basis for the Permanent Lifting Order (PLO) issued for the Lafayette mine in Rapu-Rapu, Albay.

The panel was convened last February by the Center for Environmental Concerns-Philippines (CEC-Phils) and is composed of four scientific and environmental experts who reviewed and critiqued the reports that have informed the DENR's decision to reopen the RRPI mine to full commercial operations:

l Dr. Carlito R. Barril: Retired Professor of Chemistry, University of the Philippines in Los Banos
l Engr. Efren Favila (mining engineer)
l Dr. Emelina G. Regis: Director for the Institute for Environmental Conservation and Research (INECAR) of the Ateneo de Naga University
l Mr. Ricarido M. Saturay, Jr: Geologist, Faculty at the University of the Philippines Diliman National Institute for Geological Sciences (UP NIGS), and a member of Samahan ng Nagtataguyod ng Agham at Teknolohiya Para sa Sambayanan (AGHAM)

At a forum sponsored by the CEC-Phils, AGHAM, and Defend Patrimony alliance, the four experts identified major deficiencies and inadequate action on four respective areas of immediate concern, all of which were not considered in the DENR evaluation. These are:

a. Acid Mine Drainage (Dr. Barril, et al)
b. Biophysical Consequences (Dr. Regis)
c. Geological Factors (Mr. Saturay)
d. Mine Structures (Engr. Favila)

The four issued separate reviews of various DENR documents evaluating the test runs. Dr. Barril reviewed on the Final Report of Carlos Primo c. David and Rustica G. Romero on The Evaluation of RRPI's Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) Abatement And Control Strategies. Mr. Saturay reviewed the 2006 Test Run of the Rapu-rapu Polymetallic Project. Dr. Regis reviewed the Evaluation Report of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), on the Rapu-Rapu Polymetallic Project under the test run conditions (dated Dec. 19, 2006).

All of experts generally concluded that the RRPI to date lacks the capability to effectively manage, abate, and remediate the damage caused by Acid Mine Drainage.

Engr. Favila said that the RRPI mine lacks important emergency infrastructures that are crucial to preventing another disastrous mine spill. The studies also failed to consider geological factors that may adversely affect land areas surrounding the mine site and water supply systems, Mr. Saturay said.

Dr. Regis stressed that the unmonitored and unregulated presence of physico-chemical and trace metals (particularly toxic heavy metals) in the mining-affected areas, waterways, and ground had an adverse effect on marine species and will continue to pose a threat to marine and human life in the small island ecosystem.

"We find the study made by Dr. David and his partner as unscientific, carried out haphazardly and superficially, and fraught with technical loopholes and shortcomings, so much so, that the results generated are not only so limited but also of doubtful and unreliable quality. We find the results of the study inconclusive and unreliable and should not have been used as one of the bases for lifting the suspension order, " Dr. Barril said.

On the basis of the existing studies' technical flaws, methodological shortcomings and inconclusive results, the team strongly recommended a repeat of the DENR study and the pursuit of more detailed studies on the RRPI's mining operation in Rapu-Rapu.

"[More] detailed studies may be exhaustive and expensive but it is a justified pre-requisite for mining in a small tropical island with a significant population depending on the island's limited resources ," Mr. Saturay said.

Dr. Regis also urged the RRPI's remediation of the Acid Mine Drainage now seen in waterways in mining-affected areas and a responsibility and accountability from the concerned public and company officials in the event of mining-related and untoward incidents that may occur.

"The deficiencies noted by the experts indicate how RRPI and the DENR rushed the opening of the Lafayette mine in Rapu-Rapu. This undue haste to open the mine to commercial operations has put the lives of the island's residents and its marine and terrestrial ecysystems into more danger than before ," Kalikasan-PNE National Coordinator Clemente Bautista, Jr. said.

Bautista stressed that "the unremediated deficiencies and unresolved problems with the mine (such as the lack of emergency infrastructure noted by Engr. Favila) practically guarantees another mine spill ".

"The experts have also noted that Acid Mine Drainage has already started in some mining-affected sites and will continue to worsen. This will eventually poison the island's waterways and may even seep into the freshwater supply and adversely affect marine and terrestial organisms and even human life. The DENR does not seem to understand nor care about the alarming implications of this development ," Bautista said.

"The people of Rapu-rapu are living next to an environmental time bomb with the mine's reopening and with the onset on AMD. We could be dealing with another environmental disaster as large if not larger than the Marcopper tragedy in Marinduque in the mid-90s," Bautista warned.

"We demand the suspension of RRPI's operations in Rapu-Rapu," Bautista stressed.

CEC-Philippines convened the panel shortly after the DENR issued the PLO based on the test run evaluation this February, and refused to approve requests from NGOs and people's organization to launch an independent probe in the mine site. ###

Chiz Escudero slams DENR for Lafayette mining resumption

House Minority Leader Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Saturday denounced the Department of Environment and Natural Resourcs (DENR) for its decision to allow Lafayette Philippines to resume operation on Rapu Rapu Island in Albay.

“It is unfortunate that DENR has given this Australian-controlled firm the green light to extract gold ores on the island over the objections of residents, who live in fear of cyanide poisoning,” Escudero said.

In October 2005, Lafayette was directed by the government to suspend its operation after its dam that held the cyanide laced wastewater overflowed twice and contaminated rivers and waterways downstream. A dangerous chemical, cyanide is used in gold processing.

“The two accidents occurred after only three months of operation” Escudero noted. “Apparently, Lafayette takes its environmental responsibilities very lightly. I can therefore understand the people’s concerns.”

Justifying the decision, DENR said the firm had fully complied with the requirements. It added the firm had expanded the impounding area from 126 meters to 145 meters. To prevent accidental spills especially during heavy rains, Lafayette had also constructed an 840-meter long drainage canal.

But Escudero would not be mollified. He noted that an independent fact-finding commission, headed by Bishop Arturo Bastes of Sorsogon, had recommended the permanent shutdown of the firm.

The Bastes Commission was created by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo following widespread condemnation of the spillage and fear of environmental degradation.

“What’s the use of creating an investigating body if the government won’t heed its recommendations?” Escudero asked. As regards claims of compliance as basis for the reopening, he noted that “no independent body had made the appraisal to determine their validity or falsity.”

Defend Patrimony!, a nationwide movement that calls for an amendment of the Mining Act of 1995, said DENR and Lafayette refused to allow any independent fact-finding mission into the mining site to authenticate compliance for the duration of the two test runs.

Until its operation was suspended, Lafayette Philippines was producing an average of 2,500 ounces of gold a month. Aside from Lafayette of Australia, LG International Corp. of South Korea and Korea Resources Corp., which is government owned, make up the main stockholders of the firm.

10 February 2007

Lafayette Strengthens Board with New Appointment

The Directors of Lafayette Mining Limited are very pleased to advise that Mr Steve Wood has accepted an invitation to join the Board of the Company as a non-executive director, with immediate effect.
Mr Wood is currently an executive director of CIMB-Standard Strategic Asset Advisors, advisors to the South East Asian Strategic Asset Fund who recently purchased US$15,000,000 of convertible notes in Lafayette.
Commenting on Mr Wood’s appointment, the Chairman of Lafayette, Mr Reg Gillard, said that Steve Wood brings a wealth of technical and commercial experience to the Board of Lafayette. He has a very detailed and relevant knowledge of the resources industry in the South East Asian area which we expect will be very valuable to the Company in the years ahead.
He has professional qualifications including an undergraduate degree in geophysical engineering and an MBA, and an extensive track record established over a twenty-year period as both an operator and as an investor in the resources sector in North and South America, Africa as well as South East Asia.
Mr Wood’s appointment brings the number of directors on the Board of Lafayette to five, including the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr David Baker, non-executive directors Mr Robin Widdup and Mr Sonny Dominguez, and non executive Chairman Mr Reg Gillard.

Press release here (with thanks to ATM for hosting)
To paraphrase the partner who alerted this to us: "the corporate pie is being cut into thinner and thinner slices."

Lafayette Financial Update

This was forwarded by one of our partners.

For the half year ended 31 December 2006, the Lafayette Group recorded a consolidated loss attributable to members of the parent entity of *$66,369,569 or 7.4 cents per share* based on the weighted average number of ordinary shares on issue during the half year.

However more interesting the closure and rehabilitation plan has not been done. Was this not one of the conditionalities for re-opening?

*Contingent Liabilities - *
*closure and rehabilitation obligation*
A subsidiary, Rapu-Rapu Processing Inc., is liable of the conditions stated in the *Environmental Compliance Certificate No.* *001l-644-301C* which includes closure and rehabilitation obligations.
Rapu-Rapu Processing Inc. is in the process of developing a *closure and rehabilitation plan* for submission to and approval of the
Philippine Mines and Geosciences Bureau, however, at this stage no reliable estimate could be determined.

Pertinent files here and here.
(xposted from alyansatigilmina.org)

Defend Patrimony! news release

Fight against Lafayette Mining far from over
International shame campaign, Save Rapu-Rapu Task Force formed

14 February 2007 -- Denouncing DENR Secretary Angelo Reyes, his heartless decision to reopen Lafayette’s Rapu-Rapu mine and his utter lack of love for the island and its residents, Defend Patrimony alliance today announced the start of an international petition addressed at Lafayette Mining’s corporate financiers and the formation of the Save Rapu-Rapu Task Force that would continue to monitor the situation in Albay and campaign for the permanent closure of Lafayette.

“The fight against the Lafayette mine reopening is far from over. We are not least appeased by Sec. Reyes’ public reassurances that Lafayette Mining will no longer cause environmental damage. We’ll be closely monitoring the situation in Rapu-Rapu and will continue to work for Lafayette’s permanent pull-out in the island,” declared geologist and Defend Patrimony Spokesperson Trixie Concepcion.

“There are still so many unanswered questions and unresolved issues about Lafayette Mining. Even the DENR has yet to scientifically disprove the environmental blight of acid mine drainage in Rapu-Rapu, which is fast progressing in the island according to studies by independent observers,” said Frances Quimpo, Executive Director of the Center for Environmental Concerns-Philippines (CEC-Phils).

“Lafayette should be flaunting its changes for all the world to see if it has indeed resolved the problems. Yet none of the Rapu-Rapu folk and truly independent probes have been allowed to look into the mine facility, facing harassment from Lafayette's guards instead. We have yet to see for real if Lafayette has indeed resolved many of the structural integrity issues raised against it,” Quimpo continued.

Defend Patrimony along with national fisherfolks federation PAMALAKAYA today presented their “Valentines Day gifts” to the DENR, including a mock program of the world record-breaking ‘Lovapalooza’ kissing spree and announcements of more protest actions against Lafayette.

Concepcion said that environmental groups and local Rapu-Rapu folk would make international a massive “shame campaign” against Lafayette Mining’s continuing presence in Rapu-Rapu. This is to be initially done through an international petition addressed to major bank financiers of Lafayette such as ABN AMRO of the Netherlands, ANZ of Australia, Standard Chartered Bank of United Kingdom and KFSC of South Korea.

The international petition was initiated early this January by Sagip-Isla, Sagip Kapwa, a local alliance in Rapu-Rapu opposed to Lafayette’s mining operations.

The first wave of petition-signing this February has quickly gathered hundreds of signatories among the island’s residents alone.

“As of now we have gathered 1,384 signatures from the local residents of Rapu-rapu in just one week. We are targeting to get around 80-90% of the island’s households in the island to support the petition. This is another way to demonstrate that the significant majority of the local people do not want large-scale mining in their lands and expose that Lafayette is operating without social consent,” said local Rapu-Rapu elder and Sagip-Isla leader Antonio Casetas.

“The DENR and Lafayette Mining are lying through their teeth when they say that Rapu-Rapu's residents are welcoming the mine with open arms. We have never agreed to the mine and definitely we do not want it to reopen, especially after the two chemical spills, fish kills, fish scares, acid mine drainage, pollution, poverty, earth movements, and harassment that we have experienced right after Lafayette came,” Casetas said.

The text of the petition reads that “contrary to what is routinely claimed by LPI and communicated to its financiers, the project utterly lacks local community support, therefore operating without having obtained the ‘social license to operate,’ as required in covenants as the ‘Equator Principles’ that are supposed to govern your (bank financiers) investment decisions.”

The petition also said that “the project has ever since faced strong resistance from the people of Rapu-Rapu, Bicol provinces and the country, who have consistently opposed mining operations in the island, asserted their rights to the land and resources, protected their source of livelihood, and defended the local island’s ecosystem which is classified as an environmentally-critical area. Such resistance has been expressed before Lafayette started its operations and more intensively after the tailings spills in October 2005.”

Defend Patrimony said that the petition is also gathering more supporters from the national level. Among the Bicolono personalities and who support the petition are Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes, Congressman Satur Ocampo, and Dr. Regina Regis.

“WE THEREFORE URGE the consortium of financiers to the LPI mine in Rapu-Rapu to immediately withdraw their assistance to this financially-unstable, environmentally-destructive, and socially-insensitive project that deserves nothing but outright censure and closure,” said in the petition.

“We want to show to the world that until now Lafayette does not enjoy public support and what is happening now in Rapu-rapu is pure plunder and devastation. Through the petition, we are requesting the bank financiers to withdraw their financial support to the polymetallic mining project of Lafayette in Rapu-rapu,” Ms. Concepcion adds.

The international campaign is currently targeted at pressuring international banks to withdraw financial support for the Rapu-Rapu polymetallic project due to Lafayette Mining's lack of social acceptability among the people.

"Banks as ABN AMRO, ANZ, JPMorgan Chase and Standard Chartered choose to take a huge ´RapuRaputational´ risk with their continued involvement in this mining operation" said Johan Frijns, coordinator of BankTrack

"International banks keeping Lafayette afloat are strongly advised not to derive any false reassurances from this decision", Frijns said, "the issues that make this a extremely risky investment for any bank pretending to be serious about sustainability will remain. With no social license to operate, leading to continued widespread opposition to the mine, and operating under adverse natural conditions the very same issues that led to the earlier suspension of operations will return on their plate."

Frijns has tallied at least 285 individuals representing at least 60 international organizations who signed the petition during its initial wave of dissemination.

Based in The Netherlands, Banktrack is network of civil society organizations and individuals tracking the operations of the private financial sector and its effect on people and the planet. Banktrack also spearheads the petition campaign at the international level.

Starting today, the petition will be made available to the public this week via the internet, where people may directly sign up to support at www.banktrack.org, Concepcion said.

*You can view the petition here at the Banktrack site.*

Environmental activists condemn DENR for reopening Lafayette mine

9 February 2007 -- Kalikasan-PNE stormed the DENR Main Office in Quezon City this morning to condemn DENR Secretary Angelo Reyes' decision to issue a Permanent Lifting Order (PLO) on the suspension of Lafayette Philippines Inc (LPI), paving the way for full commercial operations of its Polymetallic Mining Project in Rapu-rapu, Albay.

The protesters shaved their heads to dramatize the impending environmental destruction and massive resource depletion that will happen once Lafayette resumes full commercial operations in the island.

"We condemn Sec. Reyes for allowing Lafayette to resume large-scale mining operation in Rapu-rapu. The Arroyo administration and the DENR are courting more disasters with such decisions. Like what happened before in Rapu-rapu and other mining-affected communities in the country, Bicolanos should brace for more frequent and widespread soil erosions, toxic contamination, mine wastes, water depletion and marine degradation as a result of Lafayette Mining's open-pit operations," said Kalikasan-PNE National Coordinator Clemente Bautista Jr.

Sorsogon Catholic Bishop Arturo Bastes, who headed the Rapu-rapu Fact Finding Commission (RFFC), also sent his solidarity message condemning DENR Sec. Reyes for his "disregard for the findings and recommendations issued by official investigatory bodies, particularly the RFFC, and for refusing to heed the warnings issued by various scientists and environmental experts that the Rapu-Rapu mine is an environmental time bomb."

"I vehemently object to Sec. Reyes' decision. I believe that everything about the Lafayette project is still defective and disadvantageous not only to the residents of Rapu-rapu but to the entire Filipino nation," the indignant Church leader said.

Rapu-Rapu residents are also circulating an international petition addressed at the consortium of Lafayette Mining's financiers, urging them to terminate financial support.

"To further expose and oppose Lafayette mining, we already started getting signatures and support for our international petition to the bank financiers of Lafayette such as ABN-Amro of Netherlands, Standard Chartered of United Kingdom and ANZ of Australia to stop their financial support to the polymetallic mining project of Lafayette. As of now, we have already got almost 400 signatures from Rapu-rapu and hundreds more here in National Capital Region. These are expected to reach thousands more as the petition-signing continues next week. By the hour, dozens of international organizations, particularly in Europe, are also signing up to support our petition," said Antonio Casetas, a leader of Sagip Isla, Sagip Kapwa, a local Rapu-Rapu alliance opposing the project.

Protest actions are also expected to escalate throughout the Bicol region as the local resistance to the Rapu-Rapu mine regathers its forces, he said.

"We will also stage a community action on February 11 and 12 here in Rapu-rapu and Legazpi City, Albay as immediate response to the pro-foreign and anti-environment decision of DENR," Mr Casetas adds.