| Atienza revokes Norwegian firm’s Mindoro mining clearance |
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| Friday, 27 November 2009 10:51 |
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MANILA, Philippines— (UPDATE) Environment Secretary Lito Atienza has temporarily revoked the clearance of Norway-based Intex Resources to mine nickel on Mindoro Island, anti-mining groups announced Friday. This came on the 11th day of protest fast staged by the Mangyans, religious people and environmental activists from Mindoro demanding a halt to Intex's plan to dig for nickel ore about 11,200 hectares of land in Mindoro, said Father Edwin Gariguez, one of the hunger strikers and spokesman of the Alyansa Laban sa Mina (Alliance Against Mining). In a special order personally handed to hunger strikers camped outside his office, Atienza also directed the formation of an independent technical team that would look into the issues raised by the protesters and the local governments of Mindoro, said Jaybee Garganera, coordinator of the national network Alyansa Tigil Mina (Alliance to Stop Mining). “The ECC issued to Norwegian-based Intex Resources dated October 14,2009 was temporarily revoked under DENR Special Order No. 2009-921 pending completion of a thorough and impartial investigation that will validate all allegations attendant to Intex ECC ,” Garganera said. “The investigation team will be created to be composed of independent experts chosen by the provincial governments of Oriental and Occidental Mindoro and the DENR, which will also include representatives from the civil society organizations and indigenous peoples' federation based in Mindoro,” he said. "The results of the investigation will determine the resolution of issues surrounding Intex's permit to mine, including its final cancellation," Garganera said. The protest formally ended Friday afternoon after Manila Auxillary Bishop Broderick Pabillo celebrated a thanksgiving mass at the protest camp, said Gariguez. 
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