By Marcelle P. Villegas For decades, the marine ecosystem in Masbate faces various threats like dynamite fishing which destroys the coral reefs and kills marine animals. Another is large-scale commercial fishing which causes depletion of fish population and biodiversity. These concerns are being addressed by Filminera Resources Corporation (FRC) in coo...

Baguio City -- During the 66th Annual National Mine Safety and Environment Conference (ANMSEC) last November 2019, CTP Construction and Mining Corporation (CTPCMC) was among the winners of the Platinum Achievement Award for Surface Mining operations. During the prestigious PMIEA or Presidential Mineral Industry Environmental Awards Night and Testimonia...

By Marcelle P. Villegas Have you ever lived in a neighborhood where the house beside you is under construction? Occasionally, you will hear loud noises and the air is filled with heavy fumes and industrial dust particles. This is a typical scenario from a construction site. You are lucky if your neighbor is building a small house and construction activ...

By Marcelle P. Villegas “The Philippines is currently the leader in the hydrometallurgical leaching of laterite ores but will lose its leadership position in the battery raw materials sector if supportive mining policies are not put into place quickly... or if an export ban is not implemented quickly.” (George Bujtor, 11 September 2019, Jakarta, Ind...

By Marcelle Villegas Filminera Resources Corporation (FRC) is currently the largest operating gold mine in the Philippines. For the past years, Filminera greatly contributed in upgrading their host municipality of Aroroy from a fourth class into a first-class municipality. [1] In order to fully understand the measures on how environmental protection...

By Marcelle P. Villegas Stock Market speaker, Mr Alexander "Sandy" N. Gilles, CFA, has been involved with the Philippine Mining Club Luncheon since April of 2011. It is a professional networking forum and event that provides a venue for mining industry executives, professionals, students and stakeholders. The club is affiliated with the Melbourne Minin...

By Marcelle P. Villegas Pop culture, movies, novels, literature, comic books and even video games often catch our attention and sometimes become our momentary bliss as we try to escape the real world... to find entertainment or to relax our minds. These modes in media are quite influential in ways that most of us are unaware of. For young minds or lay ...

(Photo courtesy of Mr Jason Magdaong, OceanaGold Phils. Inc. - “Didipio Mine: The Renewal of the Philippines’ First FTAA”)   According to OceanaGold Corporation (Melbourne), the Philippines Court of Appeals in Manila had set last 18 September 2019 as the hearing date for the company's application for a Writ of Preliminary Injunction. This is part of...

By Marcelle P. Villegas 5 July 2019, Villamor Air Base Golf Course, Pasay City: The 4th Rocks and Forests Invitational Golf Tournament was held, organised by the UP Geology Alumni Association (UPGAA) and the Society of Filipino Foresters Inc. (SFFI). This annual golf tournament is one UPGAA’s major projects which aims to generate funds for the differen...

By Marcelle P. Villegas Is the Philippines coping with the global trend for green solutions in transportation? A lot of electric vehicles are out now in the international market. With this wave in green technology, the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (eVAP) organised and hosted the 7th Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit 2019. This was h...

By Marcelle P. Villegas 18 - 20 June 2019 - Oil and Gas Philippines is co-located with PhilMarine 2019 at the SMX Convention Center, Pasay City. This is an annual three-day event that features products in the oil and gas sector, fire protection systems and materials, flare systems and equipment, electromechanical equipment, ships, boats, vessel equipme...

By Marcelle P. Villegas On 14 June 2019, The Philippine Mining Club celebrated their 50th Luncheon Anniversary. Their special guest speaker for this luncheon was Mr Eulalio B. Austin, Jr. who is the President and CEO of Philex Mining Corporation. His presentation’s title is "The Future: Padcal and Silangan". With the many hurdles and challenges that th...

There are many stories about scholarship programs sponsored by responsible mining companies. You may find these stories in company websites and brochures of mining companies. The stories may sound cliché or may have a mild impact on people who were never deprived of education. However, for someone who is financially struggling in life, finishing high scho...

By Marcelle P. Villegas 3 May 2019 - During Philippine Mining Club at I’M Hotel, Makati City, Mr Leo Dominguez presented updates on his Bamboo Initiative, an advocacy which he started with the support of other mining companies and assoc. Mr Dominguez is the President of OLLI Consulting Group, Inc. and flamboyant Masters of Ceremonies in Philippine Mini...

By Marcelle P. Villegas During the GeoCon 2018 last year in December, a study about East Mindanao Volcanic Arc by Dr. Graciano Yumul, Jr. and his team, C.B. Dimalanta, J.A. Gabo-Ratio, B.D. Payot, et. al.[1], was presented. The title is "East Mindanao Volcanic Arc, Philippines: Lost, Buried or Eroded?". The members of the study are from Apex Mining Com...

By Marcelle P. Villegas 26 April 2019 - The European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) organized and launched the 1st Philippine Natural Resources Development Forum at the Marriott Hotel Manila. The forum’s theme was “Harnessing Natural Resources for Inclusiveness and Sustainable Development”. ECCP describes the current status of the Phi...