The
Small Scale
Copper Mining
Operations in Barangay Puting Bato,City of Cabadbaran,Province of Agusan del Norte ,CARAGA,Philippines is one for the books. Small
Scale Miners who are mining for Gold and other Minerals are now shifting to
Copper Mining,thus,thousands of villagers are now mining the area of Barangay Puting Bato & Del Pilar,City of Cabadbaran and Barangay Tagmamarkay,Tubay, Agusan del Norte and the mountains of Municipalities of Santiago & Jabonga ,all of Agusan del Norte. For Barangay Puting Bato alone,an average daily production of 100 Tons of copper Ore for more than a Thousand Villagers mining in an open pit method .Some miners are using Dynamites to improve their daily production output! The regular manpower force employed by some Copper Mining Operators at Puting Bato consisting of a team with eleven People ,which four(4) acts as Miners(ABANTERO),Six(6) as laborers and one(1) as cook,each member of the team will receive an equal share of its daily mining Income.BUYING PRICE: The Mining operators , mostly businessmen in the area bought the Copper Ore at Php 4.00 per kilo from the Miners,and sold it at Php 11.00 per kilo to the Buyers.One Dollar $1.00 is equivalent to Forty One Pesos Php41.00 ($1.00=Php41.00)MINING OPERATIONS: Mining operators has to allocate Php 2.50 per kilo for hauling fee of the Copper Ore from mining site towards the City of Cabadbaran, and Php 5,000.00 as "Grease Money" intended for Cadreman,Civilian Volunteers Organizations & other officials.Another amount of Php 0.50 per kilo will be for the Tribal Datu's in every hauling of mineral ore from mine site towards the City proper.SOCIO-ECONOMIC EFFECTS: Granting for the sake of this presentation, that the average daily production of Puting Bato Small Scale Copper Mining is 100,000 kilos or 100 Tons ,as computed based on the disclosure of some Copper Mining Operators. The actual daily fund infusion to the community is One Million One Hundred Thousand (Php 1,100,000.00) at the buying price of Php 11.00 per kilo of Copper Ore or Thirty Three Million Pesos (Php 33,000,000.00) a Month.ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS: at Puting Bato, Cabadbaran City ,Agusan del Norte,Philippines is allegedly under the PROTECTED AREA (CABADBARAN WATERSHED AREA) consisting an area of 17,192 Hectars covering the Municipalities of Tubay and Santiago and the City of Cabadbaran. The Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) has issued the Certificate of Appointment in the year 2001.POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS: Ground Disturbance,Erosion,Denudation,Natural Animal Habitat,Loss of Vegetative cover.RECOMENDATIONS: Concern Goverment agencies shall employ a Management and Regulatory Office to manage and regulate the mining operation of small scale miners. Reforestion Programs Regulate the use of any Blasting Materials. Please don't forget to rate me. Tnx!