Bantoxics, an international NGO with an extension office based in Davao City, plans to establish an additional facility in T’boli town to cater on their strong advocacy for global Mercury-free Mining.
Jimbea Lucino, Bantoxics spokeperson disclosed that, they will establish another ball mill facility located in Poblacion, T’boli to accommodate more small-scale miners (SSM) in their mercury-free mining training.
Bantoxics is a partner of the Provincial Environment Management Office (PEMO) on the said advocacy to eliminate the use of mercury in the processing of gold ores, particularly in Barangay Kematu and other processing sites in the said town.
Earlier, Bantoxics accompanied a Mazambizan engineer and geologist to witness “first-hand” on how to process gold ore using borax instead of mercury in their established ball mill facility.
Bantoxics revealed that they have already trained 88 processors on mercury-free mining in the 3 formal and informal trainings they have conducted recently.
With the establishment of an additional ball mill facility, Bantoxics pointed out that they will train more SSM workers to adopt the environment-friendly borax in processing gold ore compared to the hazardous mercury.
Bantoxics together with PEMO, Provincial Mining and Regulatory Board (PMRB), Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office snd Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office of T’boli recently conducted a Planning and Assessment meeting regarding the implementation of mercury-free mining in said town.
PMRB plans to implement the ban of mercury in SSM starting January next year.
