In a perfect world, a mining company would leave its contract area intact, lush with vegetation with the surrounding waters teeming with fauna. Fortunately, this ideal scenario was made possible in a small sitio in the outskirts of Barangay Libay in Sibutad, Zamboanga del Norte. When Philex Gold Philippines Inc. (PGPI), a subsidiary of Philex Mining Corporation ( Philex), first explored the mountains surrounding Sitio Lalab in Sibutad, it found an environment ravaged by slashandburn farming ( kaingin), wanton tree felling, and illegal small-scale mining operations that left the surface of the mountains barren. Mining only one percent, or 38 hectares, out of 3,515 hectares of contracted area during its run from 1997 to 1999, PGPI dedicated the remainder of the land to reforestation and mangrove plantation.

Search for Zamboanga gold turns into greenery. (2014, March 16). The Philippine Star, p. B-4.