IN a display of environmental stewardship, the London-based FCF Minerals Corp. is breathing new life into the former Stages 1-3 area, now known as the In-Pit Dumpsite, of the Runruno Gold-Molybdenum Project (RGMP) in Quezon, Nueva Vizcaya.
According to Lorne Harvey, FCF Minerals general manager for operations, the area — which was declared mined-out in 2021 — is nearing 100 percent rehabilitation.
The rehabilitation process, which began in May 2023, covers an area of 3.05 hectares and has made significant progress, with the current elevation reaching from Reduced Level (RL) 380 to RL 530 as of March 2026.
Instead of leaving the area barren, the FCF Minerals’ Mine Environmental Protection and Enhancement Office has been reshaping the land, improving the soil and planting native tree species.
“We are not just mining; we are also restoring,” Harvey said. “Our goal is to ensure that the land is safer, greener and more stable over time, and that the ecosystem is restored to its former glory.”
The tree species planted include premium timber trees such as Narra, Tuai and Dao, as well as bamboo species like Giant Bamboo and Kawayan Kiling. Other native forest trees, including Mayapis, Guijo, Tibig, Hauili, Danglin and Anilau, among others, have also been planted.
The effort is intended “to replace 2 hectares of forest for every hectare cleared or disturbed during mining operations,” Harvey said.
He added that their rehabilitation efforts aim to bring back biodiversity, improve future land productivity, reduce the environmental footprint of mining, and ensure the land is safer and more stable.
The In-Pit Dumpsite is one of the areas being rehabilitated by FCF Minerals under its environmental sustainability programs.
According to Havey, “it is all systems go for the company’s mine rehabilitation for the next 10 years” as it prepares for its operations’ possible completion in 2027 in its government-sanctioned RGMP in the village of Runruno.
Under the financial and technical assistance agreement (FTAA), FCF Minerals operates the RGMP under the supervision of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) in Region 2 (Cagayan Valley).
MGB Region 2 Director Mario Ancheta said that “mining will not connote a negative impression if we religiously take actions for it to be done responsibly.”
Emphasizing the role of multipartite monitoring teams in the region’s extractive industry, he said site assessments within the mining area to validate the environmental compliance of the permit, or FTAA holder are regularly conducted.
“This is to ensure that provisions of DENR Administrative Order 21, Series of 2020, known as the Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act 7942, or the Philippine Mining Act of 1995, are strictly enforced,” he said.
Harvey said their rehabilitation efforts provide a habitat for plants and wildlife to thrive, and that the project serves as a model for responsible mining practices.
To date, FCF Minerals has recorded more than 3.6 million trees in its reforestation program, covering 600 hectares of land in the province of Nueva Vizcaya.
The company has won the Presidential Mineral Industry Environment Award many times, and the Best Mining Forest Program at the Annual National Mine Safety and Environment Conference held yearly in Baguio City.