Mining controversy in Larap

Crisis simmering … In this Facebook picture grabs, a giant backhoe has just lifted with a shovel bucket a mini truck (above) from its right side until it toppled over and rested on the other, while police from the Mambulao PNP unit watch. This incident that occurred recently was an offshoot of a brewing quarrel between two mining companies who are disputing over a piece of property in Larap, Mambulao, CamNorte. The row between Yinlu Bicol Mining Corporation (Yinlu) and Investwell Mineral Development Co (Investewell), a Malaysian-owned mining company, has been going on for some time. The toppled mini-truck is owned by Yinlu and the backhoe is being operated by Investwell. The iron ore-laden property is owned by Yinlu but is being developed by Investwell after it obtained under suspicious manner a mining permit from CamNorte Edgardo Tallado, who runs the provincial mining regulatory board (PMRB). The government a few days ago said Investwell has been operating illegally because the permit it obtained from the governor violated existing mining laws. The Mines Geophysics Bureau (MGB) has ordered Tallado to stop issuing small-scale mining permits. But the governor won’t hear of it and has continued to defy the authorities. – MWBuzz text by AP HERNANDEZ/Facebookpic