E-mail: [email protected] NEWS AT THE SPEED OF LIFE 2005 SPECIAL EDITION HAPPY NEW YEAR 2005 P.O. Box 179, Millburn, NJ 07041 TEL: (908) 265-6290 www.manilapost.com INCORPORATED NEW JERSEY, USA WORLD'S FIRST PHILIPPINE GLOBAL PRINT-ON-DEMAND DAILY NEWSPAPER DINASIAR A Sleeping Chromite Giant? THE PHILIPPINES could become the fifth largest mining power in the world because of the Supreme Court's decision allowing foreign investors to exploit mineral The proposed Dinasiar chromite stockpile and resources in the loading area that can hold thousands of tons of chromite ore for shipment abroad. Designed and country, says conceptualized by Dr. Marolo Alfaro, P. Eng. of the D e p a rtment of Civil Engineering University of PREZ GMA Prez GMA . SEE PAGE 2 Manitoba in Canada. ART BY AMMA Senator Ping Lacson NAME ILLEGAL LOGGERS SEE new opposition leader? PAGE 9 SEE PAGE 7 – DEFENSOR MOTHERLAND Phivolcs list A Woman Of Substance tsunami-prone By Jose Ma. Montelibano areas in R.P. PAGE 8 SUSAN ROCES SEE PAGE 20 PESO-DOLLAR RATE: P56.28 = $1.00 PHILIPPINE MINING SPECIAL REPORT DINASIAR A Sleeping Chromite Giant? said an engineer who was part of the DINASIAR formerly LIWAT by GABRIEL ALFIERO Manila Post Correspondent drilling team. C H R O M I T E MINES is reorg a n i z e d Others told a story of a giant king with American investments to develop and prince of Mt. Redondo where the the 320 hectare 5 patentable mining mining claim specifically located in claim of the original locator Liborio the town of Loreto. "King Tinduay, is Liwat located in Loreto Surigao del the guardian of the chromite ores Norte, Philippines which was registered underneath the land. He will only give and legally acquired under the provi- the chromite to those people who has sions of the U.S. Act of Congress, no trace of greed in their hearts", the known as the Philippine Bill of 1902, medicine man (Arbulario) said. that has the status of an American Grant. A security guard claimed he saw a The Liwat mining claim was giant shadow sitting on top of the acquired by the Liwat family before the chromite stockpile one evening that Philippines became a republic and has prompted him to fire his shotgun almost absolute ownership on the sur- towards the shadow believed to be face rights and mineral rights of the said either King Tinduay or the prince. The property based on the Philippine Bill of folowing morning the security guard's 1902. arms were swollen which he attributed The area has vested rights and it to his action of shooting the giant patentable with the status of a private shadow. property. It was segregated from the Superstitious mining off i c i a l s public domain barring others would-be hired a medicine man to perform a cer- locators from locating and appropriating emony in the place where the giant the minerals found underneath and CIRCA 1960s: President Diosdado Macapagal (LEFT) administering an shadow was shot at to appease King above it the reason why the Liwat fami- oath to the original mining locator Liborio Liwat (RIGHT) as Liberal party Tinduay, the guardian of chromite. ly was granted Private Land Timber official. Witnessing the ceremony is Congressman Constantino "Oguing" The medicine man said that it was License (PLTL) No.1 by the Bureau of Navarro Sr. (CENTER) of Surigao del Norte. the prince, the son of King Tinduay Forestry (now CENRO) under the direc- whom the security guard shot the pre- torship of Jose Viado in the year 1980- vious night. 1986 during the presidency of President With an estimated forecast of 50,000 tons "I saw the medicine man dancing Ferdinand Marcos. uttering spells holding a bamboo stick A person who acquired ownership of high-grade chromite production per quarter that magically shortens and extends over a parcel of private mineral land that served as a negative or affirmative pursuant to the laws then prevailing at the initial stage of mining, it could generate answer from an imaginary person could exclude other persons, even the about 5 million dollars per quarter believed to be King Tinduay whom the State, from exploiting minerals within medicine man directed the questions", his property. Thus, earlier jurisprudence (275,000,000 millions in pesos per quarter). said Paul Gupana, a clan member who held that: A valid and subsisting location witnessed the medicine man's ceremo- of mineral land, made and kept up in A total of P1,100,000,000 per year, a big source ny when he was still a young boy. This accordance with the provisions of the of revenues for the country and to the local young boy now owns a big successful statutes of the United States, has the health product company in Manila. effect of a grant by the United States of government where the mine is located "Surprisingly days after the pig the present and exclusive possession of and chickens were slaughtered during the lands located, and this exclusive the medicine man's ceremony at the right of possession and enjoyment con- Mr. Liborio Liwat, the original locator to clan but also by people living near the file a mining claim over the area during site, the guard's swollen arms were tinues during the entire life of the loca- area. healed", Paul added. tion. the American regime in the Philippines One member of the clan told a story was the old man's encounter of a gold- With the remoteness of the town Under the American doctrine, min- he saw the golden cat in an apple tree in where the mining site is located, peo- eral rights are included in a grant of land en cat roaming around the area long time the middle of the forested section in one ago. ple are still believing on superstitions, by the government. of the 5 patentable mining claim area, legends, dwarfs, giants, angels and The discovery of minerals in the "Maybe it was just an ordinary that lead him to speculate that the brownish, yellowish wild cat being hit witches. Medicine men are still in big ground by one who has a valid mineral motherload is in that area. business in the area. location, perfect his claim and his loca- by intense sunlight that played a visual C o i n c i d e n t a l l y, engineers who trick on Lolo Boriong, an optical illu- tion, not only against third persons but drilled on that claim area discovered a U.S. Geological Survey also against the Government. sion", said one of the clans. big find 30 meters by 28 meters of solid The golden cat is now becoming a According U.S. Geological survey chromite deposit underneath waiting to records, Loreto (Dinagat Island) has Golden cat in the mining area legend by which stories about it have be extracted estimated thousands of been told over and over, added and mod- vast reserves of millions of tons of An old story told over and over by tons of chomite ores. "That find will high -grade lumpy metallurg i c a l the Liwat clans says that what prompted ified not only by members of the Liwat probably lead us to the main ore body", 320 HECTARES 5 PATENTABLE CLAIM 1 CLAIM 2 CLAIM 3 CLAIM 4 CLAIM 5 Acquired under the provisions of the U.S. Act LIWAT MINING CLAIM 64 hectares 64 hectares 64 hectares 64 hectares 64 hectares of Congress, known as the Philippine Bill of 1902. MANILA POST SPECIAL EDITION NEW YEAR 2005 2 chromite with assay sample description in the production of stainless steel, a Cr203% at 53.73 and sandy or fine bright, shiny steel that is strong and chromite at 38.53. resistant to oxidation (rust). Stainless Based on initial scientific mining steel production consumes most of the explorations, analytical results yielded chromium produced annually. high grade chromite contents with 0.03 Chromium is also used to make heat- percent of gold, not insignificant but resisting steel. So-called "superalloys" could add up the value of ore on every use chromium and have strategic mili- loading says American lawyer and tary applications. investor John Howley. Chromium also has some use in the manufacture of certain chemicals. For Dinasiar Expeditionary Team example, chromium-bearing chemicals In August of 2004 Dinasiar sent a are used in the process of tanning prospecting expeditionary team to the leather. Chromium compounds are also island of Dinagat to check and confirm used in the textiles industries to produce the report of the US Geological Survey a yellow color. as well as to survey specifically the 320 Liwat Mining Claim area believed Dinasiar mining site to be heavily loaded with the mineral Loreto where Dinasiar's mining site chromite. is located is in the northern side of the The team composed of Dinasiar mainland of Surigao del Norte. It is one o fficials, foreign investors, mining of the seven towns of Dinagat Island engineers and former scout rangers of which was dubbed by General Douglas the Philippine Army securing the team. McArthur as one of the "three sentinel islands guarding the Central Philippines Standing deposits from the enemies in the Pacific". It is As elaborated by Dinasiar endowed with rich mineral resources Executive Vice President Felipe like aluminous laterite ore, chromite, "Keem" Espejon, based on mining gold, niceliferous laterite, sand and Engr. Esguerra's report. gravel, guano, rock phosphate, lime- stone, and siliceous sand. It is also con- On CLAIM NO.