IBALANGIBOG SA BILOG NA MUNDO, ORAGON AN BICOLANO! KAYA TA AN RESPONSABLENG PAGMIMINA SA RAPU-RAPU!

THE NEWSWEEK
VOL. 1 NO. 13 AN INTRA-COMPANY OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE RAPU-RAPU POLYMETALLIC PROJECT SEPTEMBER 11 - 17, 2006

DENR GRANTS 60-DAY EXTENSION

Five days after the successful completion of the 3rd phase of its During the 60-day test run, the company will continue to be moni-
test run, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources tored by relevant government agencies on a round the clock basis
(DENR) granted, upon request of the company, an extension of its and to be observed by the public once a week every Saturday in
test run for additional 60 days. The extension, which was signed groups of 12 people.
on September 9, allows the company to continue its test run until The frequency of public observance was reduced from four times
the 7th of November 2006 giving it actually less than a full 60 days a week (Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays) since
of operation. The company is going to use this period to progres- the beginning of the test run to allow the technical employees to
sively operate the plant until it achieves full capacity, something concentrate on the operation of the plant.
never been done before, as the test run is actually the first time
that the base metal plant has been put into operation. It normally Since the beginning of the test run, there have been 192 individual
takes a new plant two to three months of commissioning or allow- independent public observers of the test run representing various
ing the plant and machinery to go through all its paces before sectors of society: academe, church groups, civic and charitable
maximum productivity is achieved. organizations, local/municipal/provincial government units, medi-
cal/dental professionals, NGO’s, military, government agencies,
The company’s request for an extension is but another proof of the agriculture and fishermen groups, business/professional groups,
commitment of Mr. Sonny Dominguez, the President of Lafayette and the media. The test run observers were given a thorough ori-
Philippines Inc. (LPI) not to resume full operations until the com- entation of the operations which included open forum discussions,
pany is absolutely confident that its operations meet and even ex- a guided tour of the plant and the mine site, and the chance to
ceed all environmental and safety standards. That the extension submit their observations and comments in writing. Lunch, snack,
will carry the company through the month of October when the in- and the cost of transportation were provided by the company as
cidents happened and the height of the storm season shows the part of its social responsibility and as part of cost of the test run.
company’s willingness and openness to put the plant and all cor-
To date, the written comments made by the many observers have
rective measures to the most stringent test.
been positive and support the resumption of the plant’s opera-
The DENR’s approval also shows the government’s diligence and tions. Most of the suggestions made were for the company to ag-
seriousness in scrutinizing and monitoring the company’s opera- gressively counter the false impressions of the public and to dis-
tions. seminate information on the many benefits that the mine have
been giving and will make available to the people of Rapu-Rapu
and the surrounding provinces of Albay and Sorsogon. Many were
impressed at the environmental and safety measures undertaken
by the company, making it the most environmentally and safest
The Committee on Camp Services (CSE) conducted a survey on the services provided mining project in the Philippines. DENR, page 2
by SSASI last week Sept. 4, 2006.
CSE Committee sought to objectively evaluate the performance of SSASI in terms of FOOD
FOOD, LAUNDRY, HOUSEKEEPING, and GROUNDSKEEPING. The results will be 1. Wash plates, spoon and fork, glassware and cups carefully. Use hot water as final
used to further improve camp accommodations thereby achieving the intention of mak- sterilization of the utensils after being dried by CLEAN cloth.
ing it the second home of employees. 2. Our diet is fairly balanced. I suggest having milk or tea beverage during breakfast.
Said survey reaped pertinent comments and suggestions that will be appropriately ad- 3. Why don’t we have our small convenient store inside the premises? We have to buy
dressed by CSE Committee and SSASI. The performance and services of the latter was snacks, soft drinks, personal sup-
plies, i.e. soap, shampoo, tooth- Hardcopy Email
also rated by the respondents. FOOD Survey Survey
paste, etc. outside premises. If this
Below are ratings, comments and suggestions lifted from the result of the survey: is our second home and accommo- Quality of food served 2.42 2.33
Cutlery/ glasswares 1.75 1.83
COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS dation, accessibility to our necessi-
Services of personnel 2.75 3
1. Cutlery and glassware should be cleaned well as there are small particles of ties should not be slowed down.
Atmosphere/ Ambiance 1.83 2
food left and greasy. 4. Disposable plastic cups should be
AVE 2.19 2.29
2. Could they serve Milo, fresh milk, cereal? Could they serve hot food? DISPOSED OF after use. Drinking
3. Cereal must also be served. Ventilation glasses are wiped off dry with un- HOUSEKEEPING/ GROUNDS/ LAUNDRY
4. Why do we have fish all the time? Can we have a balance of pork, fish, beef clean linen. Maintain server’s cour- Replacement of beddings etc 3
and chicken? PSPI has much better food quality before, SSASI has just com- tesy Regular cleaning of rooms/ CR 3.33
plete set from soup to dessert but quality is poor. Needs electric fan at the mess 5. Hot food and cool air instead of hot Garbage collection per room 3.17
hall, very hot. air and cold food. Clothes are regularly washed 3
5. Utensils not properly washed/ air conditioned room/ must be opened 24 hours Return of washed clothes 2
HOUSEKEEPING/ GROUNDS/ LAUN-
serving sodas/ foods. Quality of laundry (smell) 2.33
DRY
6. Noodles should not be served as a main course. Utensils especially glassware Daily sweeping of ground premises 2.67
1. Refilling drinking water containers
are poorly cleaned. Beverages should also be served, i.e. soda, coke, beer. Grasscutting within premises 3
2. Regular occupants to have perma-
7. Cutlery and glassware are not washed properly. AVE 2.81
nent towels
8. Do not leave wet laundry unattended. This may be susceptible to stain adher- 3. Provide occupants with individual Legend:
ence. Use commercial detergent when washing clothes. Prolonged use of 4 -Excellent 3 - Satisfactory
keys
washing machines without an effective detergent may damage clothes. 2 -Needs Improvement 1 - Poor
VOL. 1 NO. 13 page 2 THE NEWSWEEK SEPTEMBER 11 – 17, 2006

Knights of old wore their armor to work. Today, when every-
day clothes can' t protect our employees from workplace hazards,
they, too, need body protection on the job. Some jobs require full-
body protection, while others require only special protective cloth-
ing for the parts of the body exposed to possible injury. Examples
of workplace hazards that might require some type of body protec-
tion include:
• Extreme heat or cold
• Splashes from molten metals or other hot liquids
• Flames and sparks
• Impact from equipment and materials
• Exposure to hazardous chemicals
• Exposure to bloodborne pathogens
• Exposure to radiation
The protection has to match the hazard. Examples of body pro-
tection include coveralls, splash suits, aprons, jackets, vests, lab
coats and surgical gowns, and full-body suits. Body protection
comes in a variety of different materials suitable for different kinds
of hazards. For example, protective clothing may be made of:
• Flame-resistant cotton or duck for moderate heat or sparks.
Flame-retardant and heat-resistant synthetic fabrics for working
around open flames and hot liquids
• Tyvec® or NOMEX® suits for minimal chemical hazards. PVC,
neoprene, rubber, and similar materials for more serious
chemical hazards and bloodborne pathogens
• Leather to protect against impact
! ! " #
$ ! "
That' s why we need to carefully regulate and monitor work sched-
ules of employees wearing body protection to provide adequate
rest periods to cool down. Something as simple as placing a cool
wet towel on the back of the neck can lower body temperature 2 or
3 degrees almost immediately. Also we should remind employees
to drink plenty of water before starting a job that requires a lot of
body protection. And for employees who wear fully encapsulating
air-supplied suits, me must be sure to provide cooling units and ice
packs to them. This might be true in the case of employees at the
filter area at the concentrate warehouse.
Take the final step and ensure the effectiveness of body pro-
tection. When employees are required to wear body protection,
make sure they:
• Understand the hazards and how the clothing will protect them
from exposure
• Inspect body protection before each use.
• Get a good fit to ensure full protection.
• Wear the required protection the whole time they are at risk of
exposure.
• Remove protective clothing safely to prevent contamination
• Clean and maintain reusable equipment properly

Fully encapsulating suits made of neoprene or butyl rubber-- BIRTHDAY CELEBRANTS

complete with boots, hard hat, and an air supply--are generally re-
quired when employees face exposure to toxic vapors or gases.
These suits must be completely sealed (including zippers and
seams) so that they do not allow any penetration of toxic materi-
als.
' (
How to keep cool. Wearing body protection, particularly fully en- $ '
capsulating suits, can be heavy, awkward, and hot. Employees
need to be trained to deal with that. They must understand that #
they'll use more energy and oxygen while wearing this type of pro- ( ! # (
tective equipment and therefore can be more susceptible to heat
stress and dehydration. When an employee is wearing protection $
that covers all or most of the body, normal circulation of air around ! " ! ) (
the body is prevented, perspiration can' t evaporate, and conse-
quently, the body can' t cool itself efficiently. # $ ' !
% ! * ) "
DENR ...from page 1
The operations of the Rapu-Rapu gold processing plant was vol- &
untary stopped in October 31, 2005 because of the incident of the
2nd spill and thereafter was not allowed to resume by the govern-
ment. Only after meeting tough environment and safety conditions !" # $
imposed by the Mine Rehabilitation Fund Committee (MRFC), En- %" # "
vironmental Management Bureau (EMB) and the Pollution Adjudi-
cation Board (PAB) and also paying the 10 million pesos fine, did
the government allow the company in July 09, 2006 to start the Modest and shy Diplomatic and urbane
first phase of a test run of its base metal plant, using only water Meticulous and reliable Romantic and charming
for five days. The signal for the second phase of the test run of the Practical and diligent Easygoing and sociable
base metal plant was given on July 18, 2006, allowing it to proc- Intelligent and analytical Idealistic and peaceable
ess water and slurry from non-ore bearing rocks for nine days.
The third and final phase of the test run allowed the base metal
plant to operate using chemicals and ore bearing slurry, as in nor-
Sparks of Wisdom
mal operations, for 15 days until September 8, 2006. The base $ " % !
" ! ! &
metal plant processes ore to produce copper and zinc concen- ' (#
trates. To date, the gold plant, which processes gold and silver,
( %
has not yet resumed operations.
) $
The company is confident that the 60 day extension will give it the
chance to fully manifest its capability, competence, and commit- EDITORIAL BOARD Managing Editor: Cecille Calleja Contribu-
ment to conduct responsible mining in the island of Rapu-Rapu tors: Melvin Alonzo, Gilbert Llovit Production: Mcken Belgica
and will be therefore be fully deserving to be granted a permanent Circulation: Mcken Belgica, Nancy Alipar, C.A.R.E. Dept.
lifting order at the conclusion of its test run.