filipine news on didipio
translated from : https://rmn.ph/1500-na-mangagawa-sa-quirino-at-nueva-vizcaya-mawawalan-ng-trabaho/
Cauayan City, Isabela - Starting in March, Oceana Gold Philippines Incorporated (OGPI) will begin the crackdown on its workers.
Melissa Bowerman, Corporate Communication Manager of Oceana Gold Corporation who oversees Oceana Gold Mining in Barangay Didipio, Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya, said this.
OGPI is expected to halt operations beginning in October 2019 after the FTAA expires on June 21, 2019. However, the company had earlier submitted their application for a new 25-year FTAA in February 2018 that President Rodrigo has not yet signed. Two Duterte.
In a previous 98.5 iFM Cauayan interview with Cagayan Valley MGB Regional Director Mario Ancheta, the regional and national office of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau has endorsed even the DENR secretary Roy Agullana Cimatu's office the FTAA application for the president's signature.
However, until the end of January the FTAA extension has not been signed.
The Didipio community and neighboring villages of Kasibu and Cabarroguis in Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino counties have also held a rally on January 16, 2020 in Mendiola to encourage President Duterte to sign the FTAA extension of the OGPI.
In an interview with Melissa Bowerman, she mentioned that they had been paying the workers eight months after the ceasefire, believing they would have a 25-year extension and despite the bitter decision that they would start resigning without a FTAA renewal on February 29th.
There are five to seven workers with technical capabilities who will be retained at work but they will be deployed to New Zealand or Papua New Guinea where they also have mines there.
In addition to the approximately 1500 regular employees, there are approximately 4500 individuals from the Didipio community and neighborhoods may be deprived of income.
In a 98.5 iFM Cauayan interview with Mayor Romeo Tayaban of Kasibu, he said that the reason he was opposed to restoring the OGPI operation was allegedly to protect their environment. Along with Nueva Vizcaya Governor Carlos Padilla and Barangay Chief Ereneo Bobola of Didipio did not want the Oceana Gold operation to resume.