After singlehandedly securing a victory in court against Apo Land and Quarry Corp. (ALQC), Gov. Gwen Garcia was back at the Capitol, talking business with the same people that brought him to court as if nothing happened.
“This was in extreme bad faith that they went to file for a temporary restraining order (TRO) when we are supposed to discuss ways and means on how the quarry the operations may continue but at the same time protecting these households,” Gov. Garcia had told the media at the lobby of Qimonda IT Center after the court hearing that saw the suit against her executive order dismissed.
“Kinsa pa may lain diayng mobarog para ani nila nga wala man ni mga influence intawn?” she added.
Back at the Capitol, Gov. Garcia met with Atty. Perry Pe and Luis Guillermo Franco, CEMEX Philippines CEO and President. These two represent the controlling interest in the quarry operations and cement manufacturing plant in the City of Naga.
Also present at the meeting was Herbert Consuji, who has been appointed as the president and CEO of Cemex Holdings Philippines after The Consunji Group acquired the same from the groups represented by Atty. Pe and Franco.
DENR regional executive director Paquito Melicor; ALQC Quarry Operations Superintendent William Melano Jr.; and MGB 7 director Armando Malicse were also in attendance.
The parties mentioned above, including EMB and the City of Naga, shall be represented in a technical working group which will craft safe, doable, and implementable workplace within the confines of the newly defined Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) of ALQC, taking into account buffer zones, proper sloping, the densely populated communities near quarry sites, and the commitment from the City of Naga that no more houses shall be built near the quarry sites.
An MPSA is a contract between the government and a mining operator, granting the latter the right to explore, develop, and utilize mineral resources in exchange for a share of production profits. As of the moment, ALQC has eight MPSAs issued by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) covering over 3,000 hectares of land that traverses the boundaries of Naga, San Fernando, Carcar City, and Pinamungajan.
Some of these MPSA areas are very near residential areas, which could be put at risk if no action from the government is to be taken. | IPA