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Processing plant to rise in Tubay

by Mary Cheryl S. Monoy
Butuan City - A mining processing plant that would generate employment for hundreds of local residents in the area is expected to be constructed soon in the Municipality of Tubay. This was after provincial officials expressed its go signal for the Green Town General Development Corporation (GTGDC) to construct, install and operate a small-scale mineral processing plant.

GTGDC will be the first of its kind in the area since SR Metals, Inc. and MRL-Gold/DELTA, two mining companies already existing in the area, deals only with extraction. These companies are said to earn millions of income annually.

GTGDC will occupy an area of 4,0861 hectares leased from Mrs. Fidelia S. Garcia in Barangay Sta. Ana, Tubay. It will adopt the standard method and modern technology of recovering gold by batch type and upgrading low-grade copper-lead ore.

After a series of consultations and public hearings over its feasibility, the Sangguniang Bayan of Tubay made a favorable endorsement of the project by passing Resolution No. 2008-60 last June 2, 2008 that became one of the basis of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan for its approval.

Under Republic Act 7076 or the people's Small Scale Mining Act and Provincial Ordinance No. 195-2006, it is required that the site of the mineral processing plant shall be located within a mineral or industrial zone. However, since the proposed project is situated in Purok-6, Sta. Ana in Tubay, a known agricultural land, Mayor Fidel E. Garcia said that they are still in the process of revising its Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) to re-classify the area into mineral or industrial zone so that the project would begin soon.

Complying with the mandatory requirements of putting up a mineral processing plant, the GTGDC submitted the approved Environmental Clearance Certificate including its Initial Environment Examination (IEE) Report which contains the corporation project description, baseline environmental conditions, impact assessment; Environment Management Plan, Sketch plan and other related documents; Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC), and its Financial Feasibility Study (FFS).

The Municipality of Tubay is known to be rich in natural resources in the region. Minerals such as nickel, copper, ore, manganese and lead can be found here.

"After all, this will generate a lot of employment opportunities to the local residents of Tubay and enhance its commerce and trade, fees, taxes and other livelihood benefits", Board member Sadeka G. Tomaneng said, chair of the SP Committee on Environment and Natural Resources. (Agusan del Norte/PIA-Caraga)

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