Mindoro Resources has announced that a wholly owned Philippine subsidiary, MRL Gold Phils, was recently awarded a Certificate of Commendation by the Philippine government’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for its role in the implementation of a Coastal Resource Management Program (CRMP). The Certificate of Commendation was presented to MRL’s Senior Environmental Officer, Jesalyn Abonates-Guingguing, at a ceremony held during the 23rd anniversary celebration of the Caraga Regional Executive Office of the DENR.
In 2007, MRL implemented a pilot program for the protection of the Candila Marine Sanctuary at Barangay village, Lawigan, located in Tubay, Augusan del Norte, Northern Mindanao, within five km of the Agata nickel laterite resource. The program has four components – seminars and training, livelihood generation, marine sanctuary maintenance and protection, and finally monitoring and evaluation.
The program has been a collaborative success story between the company, the government and the community. Seminars and training are conducted in partnership with the Coastal & Marine Management Division of the DENR, and local fishermen now volunteer with the sanctuary maintenance program. Monitoring and evaluation is jointly undertaken by the community, the company and the DENR while the company has provided funding for various community livelihood generation programs.
The company congratulated its dedicated environmental team, whom it recognizes is largely responsible for the success of the CRMP. Mindoro’s President and CEO, Jon Dugdale, commented, “We will continue to strive to maintain the highest levels of responsible exploration and sustainable resource development.”
Mindoro is focused on exploration in the Philippines with a strategy of advancing early stage opportunities to production or joint venture. The company controls major nickel laterite resources in the Surigao District, Mindanao, where potential for a DSO operation to generate early cash flow is being advanced as well as large scale potential for an onsite processing plant.
Mindoro has NI 43-101 Mineral Resource estimates on its Agata North nickel-cobalt project totalling Measured and Indicated 26.92 Mt at 1.11% Ni and 0.06% Co and Inferred 3.79 Mt at 1.06% Ni, 0.05% Co. The Surigao regional exploration target is 50 to 70 Mt at 0.9% to 1.2% Ni.
Mindoro also has NI 43-101 Mineral Resource estimates on both its Lobo and Archangel (Kay Tanda) gold-silver projects. Mindoro has identified 22 porphyry copper-gold prospects and has three projects in the Batangas area of southern Luzon which are the subject of a farm in arrangement whereby Gold Fields may earn 75% through direct project expenditure. Gold Fields has commenced drilling copper-gold and high grade gold targets on the Lobo project.