The Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment challenged the administration to return the lands of indigenous peoples (IPs) after OceanaGold Corp. suspended their mining operations in Didipio, Nueva Vizcaya.
According to an Inquirer report, OceanaGold president and CEO Mick Wilkes stated that the firm “had no choice but to temporarily suspend production at Didipio,” after the “uncertain” outcome of its appeal for a court conjunction last month, and “ongoing” efforts to finalize the renewal of its FTAA.
The group’s national coordinator, Leon Dulce, said in the report that the mining firm’s failure to settle their Financial or Technical Assistance Agreement (FTAA) meant that the area should have been returned to the government who, in turn, should return the land to the indigenous Tuwali-Ifugao communities.
“We challenge the Duterte administration to follow suit by rejecting OceanaGold’s contract renewal with finality and returning the mineralized lands to the indigenous communities who rightfully own the land,” Dulce was quoted saying.
