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Saturday, May 20, 2023 Vol. 18 No. 215
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FOR generations, children and their families in the poverty-stricken province of Camarines Norte, Bicol, have relied on gold mining as their enduring way of life. In this photo taken in December 2016, workers painstakingly sift through soil and debris with their bare hands, utilizing toxic mercury in their search for gold. The hazardous nature of this practice cannot be understated, as severe exposure to mercury can lead to devastating health consequences such as kidney and respiratory failure, profound damage to the nervous system, and, in some tragic cases, even death. ILO / MINETTE RIMANDO (CREATIVE COMMONS BY-NC-ND)
GOLDEN PROMISE
DOST spearheads pilot test of relatively new method to extract minerals from ores sans environmental damage
D
By Manuel T. Cayon
AVAO CITY—The outcome of a government-initiated gold processing method in the mining industry is churning out a promising future for mineral extraction among small-scale operators: No more mercury and cyanide scare to blight people’s lives, the river systems and the environment as a whole.
Eight years after the project “Integrated Gold-copper Mineral Processing Pilot Plant in the Regions” was field-tested in October 2015 in Nabunturan, Davao de Oro, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) reported increased earnings for small-
scale miners and the absence of severe environmental pollution associated with small-scale mining in the past. “The latest performance of the facility has shown that it can increase the earnings of small-scale miners up to 86.5 percent, with
opportunities for further improvement,” the DOST told the BusinessMirror. With non-pollutive efficiency to extract gold from the ore and lesser risk of an environmental damage, the new processing method may likely ease the negative impression against small-scale mining and a future gold rush, and offer a better income outlook for people seeking their fortune from small-scale mining operations.
cyanide to extract gold. “The problem with small-scale mining operations is that these are unregulated or non-regulated. And they cause pollution to the environment, aside from also endangering [the miners’] health,” Sales added. This, he added, is one reason the DOST is embarking on a program called Community-led Non-Cyanide Non-Mercury Mining Technology. The initiative was pilot-tested in Davao de Oro.
Critical assistance
Focus on small-scale miners
DOST Region XI Director Anthony Sales said small-scale mining operations continue to thrive alongside corporate mining operations, which are mostly found in mineralrich Davao de Oro province, formerly called Compostela Valley. He said the small-scale mining operations still needed critical assistance to avoid polluting the environment because of their reliance on the poisonous mercury and
THE unresolved plight of smallscale miners and the persistent challenge in mass transportation systems are on the spotlight in this year’s regional scientific meeting in Mindanao, one of three legs of meetings before the annual national gathering of scientists, researchers and academicians in Manila. Experts from the Department of Mining of the University of the Continued on A2
NOTICE OF FILING OF APPLICATION/S FOR ALIEN EMPLOYMENT PERMIT/S (AEP/S) Notice is hereby given that the following companies/Employers have filed with this Regional Office application/s for Alien Employment Permit/s: ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.
NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION
QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE
66 GLOBAL SOLUTIONS INC. 9th & 11th/f Ssk Building, Block 7 Lot 5 Kennedy Road Corner Mindanao Avenue, Don Galo, City Of Parañaque CHANG, CHENGLONG IT Technical Mandarin 1.
Brief Job Description: Perform diagnostic test and troubleshooting to identify client’s issues.
Basic Qualification: At least an associate’s degree in computer science, networking or programming. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
See “dole ncr” on A13-A17
PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 55.9670 n JAPAN 0.4036 n UK 69.4439 n HK 7.1508 n CHINA 7.9532 n SINGAPORE 41.5340 n AUSTRALIA 37.0558 n EU 60.2877 n KOREA 0.0420 n SAUDI ARABIA 14.9249 Source: BSP (May 19, 2023)