Red Mountain Mining (ASX:RMX) this week highlighted the strong local community support for its Batangas Gold Project in the central Philippines.
Batangas has an Indicated and Inferred Resource of 6.19 million tonnes at 2.2g/t, or 444,000 ounces of contained gold.
Adding spice, two Chinese processing plant operators have expressed interest in toll processing and/or ore purchases from potential early mining of the high grade South West Breccia lode.
The company has now advanced the final permitting steps, and through its local subsidiaries, has now submitted all final responses to questions from the Review Committee of the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB).
This allows a recommendation to be finalised for approval of the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC).
Approval of the ECC, when achieved, will represent a major milestone in the overall approval process for the Batangas development.
Jon Dugdale, managing director for Red Mountain, commented:
“We continue to enjoy significant support from the local community for the project with some 1,200 local people recently turning out for a rally in support of the Batangas Gold Project and the additional benefits that mining and development will bring to the Community.
“We’ll continue to work with the Government agencies to satisfy their requirements and achieve final permitting for this well credentialed Project.”
Next steps
Red Mountain is also required to achieve approval of the final Declaration of Mining Project Feasibility (DMPF).
This requires the endorsement of two out of the three Local Government Units (LGU’s), which includes the group of ten key Barangay (township) Councils, the Lobo Municipal Council and the Batangas Provincial Government.
Red Mountain already has endorsement from the group of ten key Barangay Councils, and had also received Lobo Municipal Council endorsement.
The company said that it has been notified that the Lobo Municipal Council has withdrawn its previous endorsement for the Project, citing some environmental and “social acceptability” concerns.
Red Mountain will now seek to address these concerns and will re-submit to the Lobo Municipal Council for endorsement in due course.
The company has not yet applied to the Provincial Government for endorsement and will consider this option in parallel to seeking re-endorsement of the Lobo Municipal Council.
Red Mountain believes that achievement of the Environmental Compliance Certificate from the EMB will significantly assist in gaining endorsement from the Lobo Municipal Council and also the support of the Batangas Provincial Government.
Managing director Jon Dugdale will present at Proactive Investor's Sydney, Melbourne Investor Luncheons in August.
Click here to register for the Sydney Luncheon on Tuesday 4th August or here for the Melbourne Luncheon on Wednesday 5th August.
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