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Daraga, Albay (March 31, 2004) - The Mineral Production in
the Bicol Region for the year 2003 amounted to Php 55.87M
while the Sales Value amounted to Php71.82M. Albay contributed
the highest production amounting to Php36.3M equivalent to
64.97% of the overall production. This is due to the high
production value of sand and gravel, which is very abundant in
Albay, and other mineral commodities like limestone, bentonite,
perlite and zeolite clay. Camarines Norte, the lone province
that produces gold and silver, posted 26.88% of the overall
production value in the region placed second.
Camarines Sur, on the other hand, contributed a total production
value of Php3.12M, representing 5.59% of the overall production
of the region.
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For Catanduanes, Sorsogon, and Masbate, their production value
is considerably small compared to Albay, and Camarines provinces.
Only sand and gravel are extracted from these provinces except
Sorsogon, aside from sand and gravel, also produces pumice
stone.
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MINERAL PRODUCTION AND SALES IN
THE BICOL REGION CY 2003
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PROVINCE
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PRODUCTION VALUE (P)
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SALES
VALUE (P)
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ALBAY
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36,296,127.50
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44,373,535.00
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CAM. NORTE
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15,017,728.39
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21,269,940.89
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CAM. SUR
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3,122,662.00
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3,315,612.00
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CATANDUANES
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335,012.50
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566,675.00
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MASBATE
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581,735.25
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1,144,591.00
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SORSOGON
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513,515.00
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611,209.00
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TOTAL
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55,866,780.64
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71,281,562.89
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The
mining industry in the region posted an overall 43% increase
in production value compared with last year’s production. With
the development phase of the Mineral Production Sharing
Agreement Contract (MPSA) of Lafayette, Phils. located at
Rapu-Rapu, Albay, mineral production value in the province of
Albay will be expected to increase. This signals, among other
things, three major positive developments that will fuel the
much-awaited revival of mining in the region: (1) renewal of
investor’s confidence in the mining industry and the
government efforts in mineral resources management; (2) entry of
financial and technical resources, and support that is not
available locally; and (3) catalyst for countryside development
where the project is located. Further, the government stands to
benefit from the additional revenues from mining taxes, fees,
charges, and other payments. LArancillo/MGB5
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