Described as the biggest mining disaster in the country, the Padcal mine spill of Philex Mining Corp. in August last year is not the first time the company has faced such problems in the same mine site and in another project.
In January 1992, part of the Padcal mine’s Tailings Pond No. 2 in Itogon, Benguet collapsed and spilled about five million metric tons of tailings across 5,000 hectares of land along Agno River downstream, according to the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB).
The leakage was blamed on the weakened dam structure after the 1990 earthquake that devastated many parts of Baguio City and Benguet, according to the MGB’s “Sustainable Development in the Philippine Mineral Industry: A Baseline Study.” Philex started operating its Padcal mine in 1958.....
In the MGB initial investigation report last Sept. 26, figures provided by Philex show that levels of heavy metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium, and chromium in the waterways spiked after the mine waste spill.
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/294083/news/specialreports/no-stranger-to-mine-spills-philex-still-wants-rehab-of-aging-tailings-pond
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