B2Gold Corp has been notified with regards to a ‘show cause order due to DENR mine audit report’ in relation to the Masbate Gold Project in the Philippines.

Another foreign company, OceanaGold, was also named in reports as having to show cause in regards to the Didipio Gold-Copper Project.

In a statement B2Gold said that Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) spokespersons informed it that the Masbate Gold Project would be provided a show-cause order related to the operations of Filminera Resources Corporation (FRC) and Philippine Gold Processing and Refining Corporation (PGPRC) at the Masbate project.

B2Gold said that based on the reference to the three findings indicated in the brief and based on a subsequent meeting with the Secretary of DENR, it was confident that the issues would be resolved by working with the government agencies, in the time frame provided. It said none of the findings involved any environmental or social issues. They were related to administrative issues only.

The company awaits formal notification from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) and details of the order but operations continue uninterrupted and guidance remains unchanged.

The Masbate project is the largest single investment in the Province of Masbate and the largest producing gold mine in the Philippines. Masbate project operations are ISO 14001 compliant so that the environmental management systems demonstrably meet Philippine requirements.

OceanaGold on Wednesday advised that it had not received any formal order from the government about the Dipidio mine, stating that mining and processing activities were continuing.

The company said it was seeking clarification and further details and would consider all avenues – including working collaboratively with the DENR – to facilitate the immediate resolution of the matter to ensure no disruption to its operations.

“We are disappointed with the statements made earlier today and will seek clarification and reconsideration from the DENR to further understand and rectify this matter in short order,” OceanaGold’s president and CEO Mick Wilkes said, adding that the company has prided itself for being a responsible mining company with a long history of operating to the highest industry standards.

The Dipidio mine has annual capacity of 100,000 ounces of gold and 14,000 tonnes of copper.