Zambo mining firm denies virus infestation link to its exploration works

PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur, Feb. 5 (PNA) -– The Atro Mining-Vitali, Inc. (AMVI) has denied that the firm’s exploration activities are causing the White Spots Syndrome Virus (WSSV) infestation in some of the fishponds in Barangay Vitali, Zamboanga City.

AMVI corporate communication officer Antonio Manaytay said linking the reported infestations to the AMVI explorations “is a product of hasty, irresponsible and sweeping generalizations without taking into consideration a wider picture where prawn and shrimp farmers in Zamboanga Sibugay and Sarangani provinces had also observed the same deaths of stocks.”

Manaytay issued the statement as he noted that the Zamboanga City agriculture office through its Field Office No. 6 has already warned prawn farmers in Barangay Vitali of a possible outbreak and infestation of WSSV on the shrimp farming industry with the onset of hot weather.

Manaytay said that Zamboanga City Field Agriculture Office 6 head Rico Tabal, whose office is based in Barangy Vitali, has issued the warning after reports reached his office from fishpond operators indicated a “possible infestations of prawns by WSSV.”

He said that Tabal is aware of the possible onset of WSSV infestations “during this time of the year and last year, and is likely to hit again this year the local prawn farming industry.”

He said that similar occurrence was also observed in nearby the nearby Zamboanga Sibugay province where farmers reported deaths of prawns and shrimps due to “white spots.”

Zamboanga Sibugay Governor Wilter Palma has already directed all agricultural technicians to closely monitor the reports of prawn farmers in his province about “white spots” infestation.

Manaytay said that a prawn and shrimp farmer in General Santos City named Joy Mahinay Provido has confirmed that the same problem has also affected the prawn farmers in nearby Sarangani province.

“Amid this threat to the fishpond sector, which is also happening elsewhere, our company is saddened by the recent events as it affects the livelihood of Barangay Vitali residents especially those who rely on the fishpond industry. However, it is disheartening to note that this unfortunate incident is being linked by some people, for whatever reasons, to our company as the cause of the said viral infestations,” Manaytay said.

“This is to inform the public that the company has nothing to do with the reported infestations of fishpond products within Barangay Vitali. Our company categorically and vehemently denies all these unfounded allegations and hasty generalizations without first looking at the facts and making scientific investigations,” he added.

He reiterated that the AMVI is still on the exploration stage of its iron ore project in Barangay Vitali, 73 kilometers east of this city.

He said the AMVI is not using any form of chemicals in the conduct of “our exploration activities.”

More so, Manaytay said the AMVI is also taking quarterly water samples within the river systems of Vitali for monitoring and compliance of water quality as per DAO No. 34 of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Manaytay said that any attempt to link the firm to the WSSV infestation is simply absurd and preposterous since the iron ores will be mined and processed without the need of chemical to recover the iron once they would start mining operation.

“In the spirit of transparency and to underline our commitment to Responsible Mining Principles, our company will support any investigation on this matter or even the conduct of a scientific study to really find out the problem and solve this issue, once and for all, in order to help our local businessmen on the fishpond industry and also the residents of Vitali,” Manaytay said.

“We are opening the area under our Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) to the city government of Zamboanga, concerned national government agencies, and the media to visit our project site in order to find out the activities that we are doing and to finally decide whether we have done something that can be linked to the cases at hand,” Manaytay added. (PNA)
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