Amid the ongoing ownership dispute over the closed Maricalum Mining Corporation (MMC) site in Sipalay City, National Mines and Allied Workers Union (NAMAWU) Local 103 President Melecio Libo-on, Jr. told members of the media yesterday their group is confident President Rodrigo Duterte will intervene on the matter.

“Many of us already died waiting for our dues,” he said. “The next of kin have replaced them and [are now] working with us to get what we should have received many years ago.”

He said they have been waiting for 22 years, after the courts decide the union had the right to recover dues after the mining firm closed.

The union leader also voiced concerns over the possibility of scrap and other properties being taken from the former mining site, which they claim belongs to them.

“Young and old, men and women are always taking turns to guard this post,” Libo-on said. “We fear that if we [do] not stay here, when the order for us to garnish the properties of MMC is finally served, most, if not all, of the scrap, equipment, and structures at the [mining] site, which we can sell, will no longer be there.”

“We are always helpless every time there are trucks loaded with scrap [exiting] the area through a different road, leading directly to the Sipalay City Airport,” he added. “When we call the local police, they do not come, especially at night.”

Libo-on also reported sometimes hearing gunshots, but said police are slow to respond.

He also noted, G Holdings, Inc. (GHI), which claims ownership of the mine, has employed security guards to monitor the site and reportedly have allowed former workers to enter the premises and transport scrap out.

When asked if the Sipalay City government has provided any assistance, he said Mayor Oscar Montilla, Jr. has been supportive.

Back in April, when former Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Gina Lopez visited the city, Montilla said there is a need for more jobs, noting, “We cannot cope with the volume of laborers.”

Libo-on also called on the media and the city government to help convince the president to take action on their behalf.

“We are asking the help of the media in Negros and other officials,” he urged. “We just want to get what are due to us.”/DGB, WDJ