Marinduque rejects Barrick Gold's 'onerous' settlement agreement

Marinduque Board Member Adeline Angeles.
Photo from Adeline Lyn Angeles Facebook

Board Member Adeline Angeles reports that the Sangguniang Panlalawigan has rejected the offer from Barrick Gold of USD 20M in damage suit settlement due to 'onerous' Settlement Agreement. Her report follows:

UPDATES ON THE CASE FILED BY THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT OF MARINDUQUE (PGM) IN NEVADA AGAINST PLACERDOME/BARRICK GOLD

by Adeline Lyn Angeles

From her Facebook post October 4, 2013

(English translation supplied by this blogger).

Noong Miyerkules, Oktubre 2, 2013, pinag-usapan ng Sangg. Panlalawigan ang report/rekomendasyon ng Abogadong Amerikano sa pangunguna ni Walter Scott na inindorso ng Gobernador sa Sangg. Panlalawigan para sa kaukulang aksyon. (On Wednesday, October 2, 2013, discussed at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan was the report/recommendation of the U.S. lawyer lead by Walter Scott that was endorsed by the Governor to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan for appropriate action).

Kaugnay ng nasabing report/rekomendasyon may inihaing draft ng isang mungkahing resolusyon upang "tanggapin in principle” (i-accept in principle in amount, form and substance) ang ino-offer ng Barrick Gold na $20M na sinasabing nakasaad sa isang proposed Settlement Agreement. (In connection with the said report/recommendation a draft was presented of a proposed resolution to "accept in principle" (accept in principle in amount, form and substance) the offer from Barrick Gold of USD 20M which is purportedly stipulated in a proposed Settlement Agreement).

Hindi naging katanggap-tanggap sa Sangg. Panlalawigan ang sinasabing nilalaman ng binabanggit na Settlement Agreement na sa tingin ng marami ay masyadong "onerous" kaya’t lugar na resolusyon na “ina-accept in principle (in amount, form and substance) ang sinasabing proposed Settlement Agreement”, ang ipinasa pa lamang ng Sangg. Panlalawigan ay titulo ng isang resolusyon na nagpapahayag ng patuloy na pagiging bukas ng lalawigan sa patuloy na pakikipag-usap at pagiging bukas na muling i-renegotiate ang mga terms and conditions para sa posibleng settlement agreement.  (The Sangguniang Panlalawigan did not find acceptable the purported contents of the said Settlement Agreement that the majority found "onerous",  so in lieu of a resolution "accepting in principle" (in amount, form and substance) the stated proposed Settlement Agreement, what the Sangguniang Panlalawigan filed was the title of a resolution expressing the willingness of the Sangguniang Panlalwigan to continue discussions and to remain open to again re-negotiate the terms and conditions for a possible settlement agreement).

Muli ring hiniling na official na mabigyan ang tanggapan ng Sangg. Panlalawigan ng "official copy" (na officially endorsed sa SP) ng mismong nababanggit na proposed Settlement Agreement at iba pang dokumentong nababanggit sa report ng abogado at endorsement letter ng gobernador. Nangako naman ang Tanggapan ng Gobernadora sa pamamagitan ni Administrator Bong Raza na gagawin nila ito. (It was again requested to officially provide the office of the Sanggunaing Panlalawigan with an "official copy" (that is officially endorsed to the SP), of the same mentioned proposed Settlement and other documents being mentioned in the report by the lawyer and endorsement letter of the governor. The Office of the Governor through Administrator Bong Raza promised to comply with this).

Inaasahan ng mga miyembro ng Sangg. Panlalawigan na ito ay magiging daan upang muli at higit na mapag-aralan ng Sanggunian ang posibleng terms and conditions na pwedeng maging katanggap-tanggap at makakabuti para sa lalawigan gayon din ang prosesong pinagdadaanan nito. (The members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan hopes that this will pave the way to, again and for better study by the Sanggunian of the possible terms and conditions that could be acceptable and good for the province, as well as the process this is going through).

______________________

3 Iba pang resolusyong akin pong i-prinopose/ipinasok sa session na ni-refer naman sa proper Committee: (Original texts of the proposed legislative measures are in english pero sinubukan ko pong i-taglish na lang dito): (3 other resolutions I proposed during the Session referred to the proper Committee: (Original texts of the proposed legislative measures are in English but I tried to use Taglish in this regard):

1. Mungkahing Resolusyon tinatanggalan ng tila automatic na authority ang abogado ng lalawigan sa pangunguna ni Walter Scott na makipag-negotiate in behalf ng lalawigan para sa ano mang posibleng out of court settlement hinggil sa kasong isinampa ng lalawigan sa Nevada.

(1. Proposed Resolution removing the apparent automatic authority of the legal counsel of the province headed by Walter Scott to engage in the conduct of negotiations in behalf of the province in relation to any possible out of court settlement regarding the case filed by the province in Nevada). 

2. Mungkahing Resolusyong muling nire-reiterate with greater fervor ang 50-yr Mining Moratorium sa lalawigan na dati ng ipinasa ng mga naunang Sanggunian.

(2. Proposed Resolution reiterating with greater fervor a 50-year Mining Moratorium in the province that has been earlier passed by previous Sanggunians).

3. Mungkahing Resolusyong nagtatakda ng pagsasagawa ng isang Comprehensive Resource Valuation and Updated Impact Assessment kaugnay sa nakalipas o isinagawang pagmimina ng Marcopper/Placerdome sa lalawigan; nag-a-Appropriate ng kaukulang pondo; at nagtatakda sa PPDO na agad gumawa ng kaukulang mga proj. proposals sa ilang multilateral agencies/funding agencies na pwedeng maging katuwang sa gawaing ito.

(3. Proposed Resolution to undertake the conduct of a Comprehensive Resource Valuation and Updated Impact Assessment in relation to past mining operations of Marcopper/Placerdome in the province; appropriating the necessary funds; and designating PPDO to immediately draft corresponding project proposals for some multilateral agencies/funding agencies that may serve as partners in this endeavor).

________

NB: More updates to be posted in the page "Angeles’ Report" Oct 5, 2013. Please like the  page. 

Also read: Marinduque board member decries 'unfair, insulting, disrespectful, irresponsible' conduct of stakeholders meeting and false claims