Eastern Samar Mayor Assures Residents Amid Mining Exploration Permit

TACLOBAN CITY, LEYTE, Philippines — Mayor Gilbert Go of Giporlos, Eastern Samar, assured residents that no mining operations are currently being conducted in the municipality as he sought to clarify concerns over a recently approved mineral exploration permit covering portions of the town and neighboring Balangiga. Go issued the assurance following Altimas Mining Corporation’s July 7 presentation of its Mineral Exploration Permit, which was issued by the regional office of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB). “I want to make it clear that no mining is taking place or has started in our municipality,” Go said in a statement issued on Sunday. He explained that the permit is only an exploration permit, which authorizes the company to determine whether mineral deposits, particularly chromite, are present in the area. “This does not mean that mining has already started or that mining is certain to take place,” he said. The MGB granted the company an exploration permit covering 902 hectares in portions of Giporlos and Balangiga. Altimas Mining filed its application on Feb. 2, 2011, and the permit was approved on June 22, 2026. Go said any future application for commercial mining operations would still have to undergo several legal and regulatory processes, including compliance with environmental requirements, community consultations and other requirements mandated by law. “Should the time come when there is an application for actual mining, there are still many legal processes that must be undertaken, including environmental requirements, community consultations and other requirements under the law,” he said. The mayor said the local government has no authority to prohibit mineral exploration because the power to issue exploration permits rests with national government agencies. However, Go vowed to oppose any activity that could harm the people, environment or future of Giporlos, a fifth-class municipality with more than 13,000 residents across its 18 barangays. “As your mayor, I have no jurisdiction to prohibit the exploration and assessment of minerals in our lands because this falls under the authority of national government agencies. But I will not allow anything that could harm or destroy our people, our environment and the future of Giporlos,” Go said. “My oath is to serve and protect you,” he added. Go said protecting the lives, safety, livelihoods and environment of Giporlos residents remains his top priority. He urged residents to remain calm and rely only on official and credible sources of information. He also assured them that the public would be properly informed and given opportunities to express their views should any future mining application be pursued. “The voice of the people is important. I hear your concerns and your welfare will always be my priority,” Go said. The issue has drawn attention in Eastern Samar, where mining operations are already active in other parts of the province. On Homonhon Island in Guiuan—believed to be the site where Ferdinand Magellan first landed in the Philippines in 1521—the MGB has listed commercial chromite and nickel mining operations. MGB records for 2025 also show mineral production from the island. Unlike the operations on Homonhon Island, however, the project covered by the Giporlos-Balangiga permit remains in the exploration stage. An exploration permit authorizes only the search for and assessment of potential mineral deposits and does not, by itself, allow commercial mineral extraction. Go said the local government would continue informing residents of the developments. /cb