Listed company Lepanto Consolidated Mining Co. has been summoned by the Environment Department to rehabilitate the area used in its bulldozing activity, to which the miner hacked down pine trees at Barangay Paco in Mankayan, Benguet.
Alex Luiz, Environmental Management Bureau-Cordillera (EMB-CAR) Chief of Environmental Monitoring and Enforcement Division Engineer, met with the provincial board and Cenro Buguias on Monday to tackle the mining firm’s alleged tree-cutting, which is a violation of its environmental compliance certificate (ECC).
“At least 1,100 seedlings of the same species must be planted not later than June 2018. The company are to submit the map of where the trees are to be planted and commit to prevent the occurence of the same incident in the future,” Luiz said.
He added, under the penal provision, a maximum penalty of P50,000 must be paid by the miner.
Lepanto also violated sections 77-78 of the Forestry Code of the Philippines (or Presidential Decree 705), which led the DENR to sue Lepanto and its bulldozer operator Andrew Padtoc on December 6 last year.
In the same period, the mining company appealed to the DENR and Cenro Buguias for the resolution of the provincial prosecutor.
In its counter affidavit, Lepanto instructed Padtoc to “clear the area with instructions to avoid damaging the trees.”
