Published
November 16, 2016, 10:00 PM By
James A. Loyola
DMCI Mining Corporation
will be letting go of more of its remaining workforce after initially reducing
it by 62 percent in the first nine months of the year on account of the
protracted suspension of its mining units in Palawan and Zambales.
From 550, the nickel
producer reduced its manpower complement to 207. This does not include the
thousands of seasonal workers hired during production ramp up.
“Our hands are tied. We
have no choice but to let go of most of our workers,” said DMCI Mining
president Cesar F. Simbulan Jr.
DMCI Mining’s
subsidiary Berong Nickel Corporation (BNC) received a suspension order from the
Department of Natural Resources (DENR) in June this year due to the alleged
discoloration of Barangay Berong’s river system and tributaries.
The following month,
Zambales Diversified Metals Corporation was served a suspension order due to
“social issues.”
“We are trying to
retain as many people as possible by assigning them to our environmental
rehabilitation sites. But mine rehabilitation is not as labor intensive as
nickel production so we simply cannot absorb all of them,” added Simbulan.
In August, BNC
employees staged a silent protest in front of the Provincial Capitol of
Palawan, to urge the Provincial Government to help lift the suspension.
The employees, local
residents and a group of indigenous peoples also submitted written appeals to
President Rodrigo Duterte, seeking the reopening of the mine because “many
lives depend on it.”
Over 1,500 residents
and employees and 424 indigenous peoples (IPs) signed the letters.
“We regularly
communicate with our host communities and other stakeholders to update them on
the situation. They know that we are doing our best to reopen the mine sites,”
said Simbulan.
According to DMCI
Mining, they have submitted additional documentation to DENR to support their
appeal to lift the suspensions.
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