Wastes and scraps of all sorts from the defunct Construction Development Corporation of the Philippines mining in Maglinao, Basay, Oriental Negros, have generated livelihood for the people, but also resulted in a situation where anybody can just extract minerals anytime.

This prompted the provincial government to send a team from the Environment and Natural Resources Division headed by Bebwin Gonzaga and David Norico, to check on the site. The team inventoried about 180 tons of copper concentrates stockpiled in different areas in Basay.

The buyers of these scraps include Board Member Macario Amorgente of Basay, Artemio Aguinsado of Bacolod, Loi Lagos and Shirley Hobro, among others.

The province had ordered the stoppage of the extraction activity in the absence of special permits issued by Gov. George Arnaiz, after the two-month period given to the natives had expired in January 27.

A warning was issued against transporting the mineral resources without complying first the requirements, says provincial legal officer Erwin Vergara.

Records show that more than 300 cubic meters of copper concentrates were shipped out of the province in the last two months.

During the ocular inspection, a Chinese businessman from Mainland China was in Basay to contract the shipment of the extracted copper concentrates.

Aside from copper concentrates, residents are also digging big holes to extract moledinum, and pyrite.

More than 500 bags of pyrite were extracted and were ready for their buyers in Sitio Catigtigan, Barangay Maglinao, that can be reached only by "habal-habal" motorcycles.

Pyrite and moledinum are spillage of the CDCP tilling ponds before, processed into fertilizer by Philphos but was later abandoned.

The team had chanced upon the cultural minorities salvaging scrap iron from the mill site of the former CDCP mines.*JG

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