Republic of the Philippines HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Quezon City FIFTEENTH CONGRESS First Regular Session HOUSE RESOLUTION No.

906

Introduced by Reps. TEDDY A. CASIO and LUZVIMINDA C. ILAGAN

RESOLUTION URGING THE COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL CULTURAL COMMUNITIES TO CONDUCT AN INQUIRY, IN AID OF LEGISLATION, INTO THE ALLEGED IRREGULARITIES IN THE GRANT OF A MINING CONCESSION TO THE TITAN MINING AND ENERGY CORPORATION (TMEC) THAT AFFECTS THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES IN STA. FE, NUEVA VIZCAYA WHEREAS, the Titan Mining and Energy Corporation (TMEC) that started operations in 2008, cites on its website that it has established itself as the most aggressive player in the mining industry by acquiring 40,000-hectares across 8 provinces within a span of 10 months which is faster and much more than any other mining company in the Philippines in the past few years; WHEREAS, the company invests in onshore and offshore mining projects with the objective of locating abundant resources and developing the required mining infrastructure while maintaining the lowest cost of operations. It is an affiliate of the John Tiu Ka Cho (JTKC) Group of Companies - a key player in the hotel and resorts field, financial services sector, manufacturing base, and real estate industry. Another affiliate, Pacifico Sul Mineraao Corporation is heavy into the mining of iron ore and chromite; WHEREAS, TMECs current thrust is to maximize the mining of its current operations, increase the territories that it covers, and expand its current breadth of products. It has a mining concession in the town of Sta. Fe, in the watershed haven Nueva Vizcaya; WHEREAS, on March 23, 2009, TMEC applied for an Exploration Permit (EP) to explore for gold, copper and other valuable minerals in the said town. The Region II office Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on June 16, 2010 granted a two-year permit to TMEC to explore 6,667 hectares in the town. Numbered as EP No. EXP000018II, TMEC is allowed to explore for two years. The company now has ongoing exploration in the area;

WHEREAS, the project will directly affect Barangays Bacneng, Baliling, Sinapaoan, Baracbac, Poblacion, Villa Flores, Balete, Atbu, Tactac, and Bantinan, all in Sta. Fe, Nueva Vizcaya that is part of the Kalanguya-Ikalahan ancestral domain; WHEREAS, the Kalanguya-Ikalahan tribes ancestral domain claim were approved in 1999 under the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (RA 8371). Their ancestral domain covers 58,000 hectares. The TMEC mining project is within this ancestral domain; WHEREAS, the companys mining project will directly affect 2,146 households or 8,475 individuals that are largely from the Kalanguya tribe. Other indigenous peoples in the area are Ifugao, Ibaloi and Kankanaey; WHEREAS, TMEC has not secured any certificate of compliance for the Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) of the tribal residents for the project. The MGB Region 2 office conveniently ignored this major requirement as enshrined in RA 8371 in granting TMEC its EP; WHEREAS, TMEC has secured a certain Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) executed by TMEC President Jaime T. Ang and Brgy. Tactac President/Chieftain Moreno Tindaan that shows an agreement reached by the two parties with regard to the project. Curiously, this document was signed by the two aforementioned persons with no date. But this was notarized on May 24, 2010 and submitted to the MGB Region II office on June 2, 2010 14 days before the MGB Regional Director Mario Ancheta approved the EP. This MOA does not and cannot legally replace the FPIC process and compliance; WHEREAS, the TMEC project has also brought uncertainty to the indigenous peoples of Sta. Fe, who are dependent on their rice, corn and coconut plantations and the remaining forested areas in their area. Mining activities especially those after exploration, will wreak havoc on the indigenous peoples lives, livelihood and the watershed environment of the town and the province; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Committee on National Cultural Communities conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, into the alleged irregularities in the grant of a mining concession to the Titan Mining and Energy Corporation (TMEC) that affects the indigenous peoples in Sta. Fe, Nueva Vizcaya. Adopted,

TEDDY A. CASIO Bayan Muna Party List

LUZVIMINDA C. ILAGAN Gabriela Womens Party