Digging for profits: Who owns PH mines?
QUICK FACTS
Name of mining firm: CTP Construction and Mining Corp.
Location: Carrascal, Surigao del Sur
Mining area: 3,564 hectares; 321 hectares; 4,547.63 hectares
Metals extracted/mine products: Nickel
Nickel production (2020): Adlay Nickel Project (2,236,564 dry metric tons of direct shipping ore valued at P3,916,372,998) and Dahican Nickel Project (716,909 dry metric tons of direct shipping ore valued at P1,269,062,011)
Mining permit period: 2019-2044 (recently renewed); 2000-2025; 2007-2032 (operated by Carrascal Nickel Corp.)
CTP Construction and Mining Corp. holds three mineral production sharing agreements (MPSAs) in Carrascal, Surigao del Sur. Two are operated by CTP and one is operated by Carrascal Nickel Corp.
According to the Mines and Geosciences Bureau’s (MGB) list of MPSAs as of Feb. 28, 2021, CTP’s MPSA with number 018-93-X was renewed on July 8, 2019 and will run until Oct. 22, 2044.
CTP’s MPSA with number 158-00-XIII (SMR) was assigned to Surigao Integrated Resources Corp. on Aug. 30, 2005.
CTP’s MPSA with number 243-2007-XIII (SMR) is operated by Carrascal Nickel Corp. The suspension on this MPSA was lifted in April 2019.
OWNERSHIP
Registration papers were not available.
Clarence T. Pimentel Jr. is listed as president of the firm, according to records of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau.
MINING REVENUE
The financial statement was not available.
MINE AUDIT FINDINGS (2016/2017)
According to the Notice of Issuance of an Order issued to CTP, an order was issued to the firm on Feb. 8, 2017 pertaining to operations under Mineral Processing Sharing Agreement No. 243-2007-XIII (SMR).
The order states that the company has violated certain provisions of the following laws, rules, and regulations:
- PD 1586 or “Establishing an Environmental Impact Statement System, including Environmental Management-related Measures and for other Purposes”;
- DAO 2003-30 or the IRR of the Philippine Environmental Impact Statement System;
- RA 9275 or the Clean Water Act of 2004;
- DAO 2005-10 or the IRR of the Clean Water Act of 2004;
- RA 7942 or the Philippine Mining Act of 1995;
- DAO 2010-21 or the Revised IRR of the RA 7942 or the Philippine Mining Act of 1995; and
- DAO 2000-98 or the Mine Safety and Health Standards.
The 2017 order states that these violations constitute sufficient grounds for the cancellation of CTP’s MPSA.
The full report and/or copy of the DENR order may be viewed here.
STATUS OF RECOMMENDATIONS / COMPANY RESPONSE (AS OF MARCH 2022)
PCIJ sent a letter to the company on Feb. 14, 2022 and made follow-ups on March 2 and 24, 2022. We have not received a response as of this writing.
STATUS OF OPERATIONS
Three of the mining companies in Gina Lopez’s 2017 closure order are in Surigao del Sur, namely CTP Construction and Mining Corp., Carrascal Nickel Corp., and Marcventures Mining and Development Corp.
Carrascal Nickel Corp. operates CTP’s MPSA with number 243-2007-XIII (SMR). Carrascal Nickel Corp.’s motion for reconsideration was granted by DENR, which lifted the suspension of its mining operations in 2019.
COMMUNITY PROFILE
Municipality class of mining location: Carrascal, Surigao del Sur (4th class)
Population: 22,479 (2015)
Poverty incidence rate: 35.56% (2016)
Human Development Index: 0.55 (2012, provincial)
Indigenous peoples living within or near the mining location: Manobo
IN THE NEWS
14 large-scale mining firms in Caraga ‘up for closure’ – Sec. Lopez
14 mining firms still operating despite suspension order
Factbox: Philippines orders mine closures, suspensions in green campaign
Sources:
General Information Sheet, 2020
Financial Statement, 2019
List of existing Mineral Production Sharing Agreements, Mining and Geosciences Bureau
Philippine Metallic Mineral Production, Mines and Geosciences Bureau
Poverty and socioeconomic indicators, Philippines Statistics Authority
Copy of full Mine Audit Reports by company, 2016
Copy of Notices of Issuance of an Order, 2017
Copy of Orders of Cancellation and/or Suspension, 2017
Acronyms used:
RA (Republic Act)
IRR (Implementing Rules and Regulations)
PD (Presidential Decree)
DAO (Department Administrative Order)
MPSA (Mineral Production Sharing Agreement)
SDMP (Social Development and Management Plan)
Disclaimer: The mine audit was conducted in 2016 after Regina “Gina” Paz Lopez assumed the post of environment secretary. The findings in the reports, which authorities sent to the mining firms in 2016, were likely addressed in the succeeding years following a review conducted by the Mining Industry Coordinating Council after the audit led by Lopez, who died in 2019. PCIJ has verified the reports and reached out to each company for comment. We suggest you also confirm findings included in the reports as some information may have changed over time.
The reports come from files that PCIJ has received in connection with various environmental investigations. We are releasing them in full, recognizing the public value of the files to mining communities, miners, policymakers, civil society, and researchers.
Note: The Human Development Index is a measure of how well a country has performed, not only in terms of real income growth, but also in terms of social indicators that measure people's ability to lead a long and healthy life, acquire knowledge and skills, and have access to the resources needed to afford a decent standard of living. An HDI value below 0.550 is considered low and below 0.399 is very low. The national average for the Philippines is 0.718 as of 2020.
This article was produced with the support of Internews' Earth Journalism Network.