Benguet board member Nardo Cayat last week said the provincial board will review the process by which a mining company has been able to gain permit to do exploration work in Bakun, Benguet.

“We will review if indeed lapses have been made on the part of concerned government authorities in the process of issuing the permit,” said Cayat, chair of the committee on indigenous peoples.

He said documents covering the conduct of free and prior informed consent (FPIC) from the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) have been requested to shed light on the complaints of Bakun residents, notably from Barangay Gambang.

Last month, municipal officials of Bakun led by mayor Marcelo Contada called on the provincial board to investigate how and why a mining company was allowed to do exploration in the municipality despite opposition from residents.

Contada said majority of his constituents in Barangay Gambang are opposed to the project.

“It has become a divisive issue for the municipality,” he said.

The Bakun officials called on the provincial board to investigate reported lapses and irregularities in the conduct of an FPIC process by the NCIP for the private company, Royalco Philippines.

Based on the NCIP’s certification, the Bureau of Mines has issued an exploration permit for Royalco.  

Royalco Philippines has applied for an area covering thousands of hectares in the tri-boundaries of Bakun, Kibungan, and Mankayan.

Gambang barangay officials said the company’s entry has caused misunderstanding and unrest among the residents.
They said most of the residents prefer farming as their main source of livelihood.

Cayat said the issues raised were not without basis and should be looked into.

Concerned residents insisted that the process was flawed from the beginning because it was first held in an area where a few families were sympathetic.

“Their consent cannot be construed as the consent of the majority,” they added.