Quick Facts
- On November 6, 2011, the Provincial Board of Zamboanga del Norte implemented an Ordinance banning new open pit or open cut mines in the Province of Zamboanga del Norte
- This Ordinance will also force the closure of existing open pit or open cut mines to begin one year from the implementation date in November 2012
- The Ordinance was filed with no prior notice to TVI and will have a direct effect on our producing Canatuan mine, an open pit operation, and on our exploration plans for the tenements surrounding Canatuan
- TVI, through our Philippine affiliate TVI Resource Development (Phils.), Inc. (TVIRD), has filed a series of legal actions in Philippine courts to prevent the implementation of this Ordinance
- On January 6, 2012, TVIRD was granted a preliminary injunction against the Ordinance. The Court Order effectively stops the implementation of the Ordinance and allows TVIRD to continue its operations without legal impediment while the main case (the legality of the Ordinance) is being litigated in the Court.
- TVI's external legal counsel believes that the powers assumed by the province and Provincial Governor under the Ordinance are in direct contravention of Philippine laws passed by the National Congress, including the Philippine Mining Act of 1995 and the Local Government Code of 1991, and are therefore unconstitutional
- The Ordinance introduces sweeping new provincial regulatory powers over mining operations, as well as over the process of making applications for new mining tenements, which we believe will be viewed as unacceptable by the national government
Please visit this page regularly as we provide updates on our progress.
Disclaimer There can be no assurance that any litigation commenced by TVI in the Philippines courts or negotiations with Zamboanga del Norte officials will result in nullification or retraction of the Ordinance or otherwise mitigate the effects of the Ordinance on the operations of TVI at Canatuan.