Ann: OceanaGold 2019 Diggers & Dealers Conference Presentation, page-28

glendronach,

Oceana is generally beyond reproach environmentally, but politically very clumsy. Didipio lies just to the east of the disputed Nueva Viscaya, Quirino provincial border, with Kasibu, the nearest town on the Nueva Viscaya side, and through which it trucks its ore to the coast. Oceana used to pay municipal taxes to Kasibu, a very big part of the municipalities income, as well as Provincial Real Property taxes (RPT) taxes to Nueva Viscaya. When the administrative / political boundary dispute arose between NV and Quirino, instead of continuing to pay the RPT taxes to NV as is the norm (status quo) until the dispute is ruled on by the courts, OGPI put the taxes into escrow depriving NV of the income. They have since paid two years of taxes in 2015 and 2016 but the RPT for 2013 and 2014 remain locked up. It didnt help that OGPI took Governor Padilla to court.

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2013/07/17/981021/oceanagold-nueva-vizcaya-shut-down

https://businessmirror.com.ph/2016/10/24/nueva-vizcaya-governor-calls-for-unity-vs-mining-projects/