Berong Nickel Corporation (BNC) on Thursday reported that it has so far rehabilitated 30 hectares of the Berong mine in Quezon, Palawan in the first half of the year.

In a disclosure to the stock exchange, parent company DMCI Holdings Inc. said the rehabilitated area is equivalent to 88 percent of the company’s 34 hectares target for 2023.

“We are fully committed to addressing our impacts on the environment and to our host communities. In our first year, we were able to exceed many of our rehabilitation targets,” BNC president Tulsi Das Reyes said.

“The progress we have made in such a short time is a testament to our team’s hard work and dedication,” he added.

BNC said it has installed 672 coconets for erosion control and soil stabilization, and laid down 1,721 meters of geo-textiles to enhance the ecological stability of the areas under rehabilitation.

To fast-track the final mine rehabilitation of Berong, BNC produced 214,052 seedlings, 152 percent higher than its target of 85,000, and has planted 81,709 or 96 percent of its annual target of 85,000 seedlings.

The Berong mine opened in October 2006 and was fully depleted by December 2021.

To be conducted over a six-year period starting June 2022, the Berong final rehabilitation program covers 109 hectares of surface mine, 209 hectares of silt control structures and 25 hectares of stockpile area.

BNC said after rehabilitation, the disturbed areas could be used for eco-tourism, agro-forestry and inland fish farming by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, local government units and host communities. (PNA)