LA TRINIDAD, Benguet—The Provincial Mining Regulatory Board recently declared 12 areas in two towns of the province as potential “Minahang Bayan” sites.
Engineer Lumino Caniteng, president of the Benguet Federation of Small-Scale Miners, said 10 potential Minahang Bayan sites are in Itogon, while two others are in Tuba. These potential sites are existing small-scale mining areas, to avoid future complications with other existing claims, he added.
“We are now awaiting the action for validation by the environment department on the declared Minahang Bayan sites, for us to proceed with the processing of the required documents that will eventually lead to the formal declaration of the sites as Minahang Bayan areas,” Caniteng stressed.
The 10 proposed Minahang Bayan sites in Itogon are equitably distributed in the different barangays, except for barangays Tinongdan and Dalupirip, which are classified as agricultural areas. The Minahang Bayan sites in Tuba are in Barangay Camp 4.
