OCEANAGOLD Philippines Inc. has allocated P768.43 million under its final mine rehabilitation and decommissioning plan (FMRDP) for the Didipio mine in Nueva Vizcaya, with P551.4 million already deposited in a trust fund as of this year, the company said on Sunday.
Of the mining operation area, 100 hectares was said to have been set for progressive rehabilitation, with more than 55 hectares already rehabilitated last year, with restoration of remaining areas to be done in phases.
At closure, about 221 hectares will undergo final rehabilitation while another 58 hectares, including the open pit and parts of the mine camp, eyed for post-mining community use instead of revegetation.
“By progressively rehabilitating our operating areas and steadily building the rehabilitation fund while operations continue, we are ensuring the resources, systems and plans are in place to support a safe, responsible and sustainable transition beyond mining,” OceanaGold President Joan Adaci-Cattiling said.
The company said that based on previous consultations with host communities, proposed post-mining land uses include agriculture, forestry, a freshwater lake and an enterprise tourism development area.
Technical assessment continues to ensure that these proposed post-mining activities would be safe, suitable and sustainable for specific areas of the mine site, it added.
OceanaGold’s rehabilitation and decommissioning plan is reviewed and updated every two years to reflect rehabilitation progress, updates to the mine plan, new technical information, stakeholder inputs and government requirements. It is set to be reviewed again by the third quarter of 2026.
“We have been part of the Didipio community for 20 years, building enduring partnerships founded on mutual respect and shared progress,” Adaci-Cattiling said.
“As our operations continue in the years to come, we are already investing in rehabilitation and closure planning to help ensure positive and sustainable outcomes for the environment and our host communities well into the future.”
The FMRDP will continue to be refined as closure designs are further developed and post-mining land-use studies become more detailed.
OceanaGold Philippines is a subsidiary of OceanaGold Corp., a Toronto Stock Exchange-listed multinational mining and exploration company based in Vancouver, Canada and Brisbane, Australia.
The company’s shares rose P0.90, or 2.76 percent, and closed at P33.45 apiece last Friday.