Magnetite sand exploration eyed in Bacolod
BACOLOD CITY -- Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson confirmed yesterday that the Grand Total Exploration and Mining Corporation, which earlier applied for an exploration permit in the Province of Negros Occidental, had also forwarded an official communication stating that it intends to explore magnetite sand and other associated mineral deposits within the territorial jurisdiction of the city of Bacolod using the most environmentally sound mineral exploration technology.
Sayson said that the Offshore Exploration Permit Application (EXPA) will be referred to the Committee on Environment for further discussion. The Office of the Vice Mayor yesterday furnished copy of documents to the City Hall Press Corps relative to the letter sent by Grand Total Exploration President Rommel Singson.
Singson, in his letter, said that EXPA No. 00095-Vl covers an area of 30,846.5840 hectares, within the territorial waters of the cities of Bacolod, Bago, Talisay, Silay and Victorias and municipal jurisdictions of Manapla, E.B Magalona, Pulupandan, Valladolid, San Enrique and Pontevedra in the Province of Negros Occidental.
According to the documents gathered by the Vice Mayor's Office, the proposed project intended to enter into a Mineral Agreement with the Government is a metallic resource extractive project. It is basically aimed at exploring, developing, and exploiting the magnetite sand and other associated mineral deposits in the offshore area with the territorial jurisdiction of the province of Negros Occidental.
As part of the mandatory requirement in the offshore exploration permit application, an Environmental Work Program is necessary and becomes a vital link in defining possible impacts, the proposed project might have on the marine environmental wherein mitigating measures and commitments shall be presented to assure that the possible adverse effects are truly addressed. According to the project proponent, they acquired a reliable data that Negros Occidental has a potential deposits of the titano-magnetite sand most particularly on the proposed offshore areas.