PHILEX Mining Corp has received encouraging results from the Bumolo porphyry copper-gold deposit, which is adjacent to its Padcal mine in the northern province of Benguet. The maiden resource estimate is 21.7 million tonnes at a grade of 0.2% copper and 0.3 grams/tonne (g/t) gold and has potential to add to the Padcal mine life beyond 2022.

Metals Exploration has negotiated a new debt repayment timetable with the financiers of its Runruno Gold-Molybdenum Project in the Philippines. The company hopes this will help negate the effects of ongoing delays in starting production.

US-BASED company PHI Group has signed a joint venture agreement with Manila-based Spartan Mining and Development Corporation (SMDC), to form PHI Spartan Resources, a new Philippines entity equally owned by both companies. The new company will initially focus on dredging lahar sand deposits from Santo Tomas, Maloma and Bucao rivers in Zambales Province.

Metals Exploration is hopeful its Runruno Gold-Molybdenum Project in Luzon, the Philippines will be operational in January. The processing plant is built and commissioned but the lack of an operational permit has delayed its switch-on.

Metals Exploration has been served a suspension order for certain mine construction works at the Runruno Gold Project in the Philippines while it deals with impacts from Typhoon Lando (Koppu).

ONGOING systematic studies by WCB Resources have identified an extension of the Kulumalia zone at Misima Island Gold-Silver Project by an additional 500 metres. This zone has potential to add resources to those identified at Umuna Zone and Ewatinona prospects at Misima Island.

NAUTILUS Minerals continues to award contracts for various specialized equipment and services to enable it to mine the Solwara 1 project on the seafloor to the north of Papua New Guinea. Most contracts awarded recently have been for components of the Production Support Vessel (PSV), which is being constructed at the shipyard operated by Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding Limited.

RED Mountain Mining has received exceptional surface gold results from sampling of proposed extensions of the South West Breccia (SWB) Main Lode and Hangingwall Lode on its Lobo Prospect at the Batangas Gold Project in southern Luzon, the Philippines. The rock-chip sampling results include 90.4 grams/tonne, 23.1 grams/tonne and 17.9 grams/tonne gold. The results have extended the SWB Lode drilling targets.

SOLID progress is being made with the ramp-up of commercial gold production from Red 5 Limited’s Siana Gold Project in the Philippines. During July there were 4916 ounces of gold recovered from the processing of 64,567 tonnes of ore, a performance that reflects an increase in mine grade from the bottom of the open pit.

The July production compared with production of 11,007 ounces for the June 2015 quarter and 23,645 ounces for the financial year, which reflected production only for the second half after operations restarted in January 2015.

Reconciliations of ore tonnes and grade continue to exceed expectations against the block model which is considered to be a positive indication for the grade profile of the open pit over the next 18 months.

This strong production effort was achieved despite the material movement in the east wall of the open pit in early July. Red 5 has maintained its production guidance for the September quarter of 11,000-13,000 ounces and approximately 40,000 ounces for the 2016 financial year.

In a company statement in late August, Red 5 said that a total of 32,839 tonnes @ 2.61 grams/tonne of ore and 155,922 bank cubic metres (BCM) of waste was moved ex-pit during the month of July. An additional 104,279 BCM of waste material, mainly relating to the east perimeter drain, was also moved during the month.

Ore stockpiles on hand at the end of July 2015 totalled about 52,000 tonnes, compared with about 87,000 tonnes at the end of the June quarter. Reds 5 said excellent progress had been made with the removal of sloughed material at the eastern pit wall and re-siting of the perimeter ring drain on the eastern side of the open pit was also advancing well.

The Siana processing plant continues to perform strongly with a total of 64,567 tonnes of ore processed for the month of July while good progress is being made with construction of the stage 2 embankment lifts for the high density polyethylene lined Tailing Storage Facility (TSF5) together with TSF3.

Mining activity at Siana has been focused on open pit mining of the Stage III pit design and associated remediation of the eastern wall, the east perimeter ring drain, Stage II of the open pit design as the immediate source of ore, and Stage IV as resources allow.

Red Mountain Mining has received exceptional new surface gold results from sampling of proposed extensions of the South West Breccia (SWB) Main Lode and Hangingwall Lode on its Lobo Prospect at the Batangas Gold Project in southern Luzon, the Philippines.

RED Mountain Mining has received Lobo Municipal Government Council endorsement for its Batangas Gold Project development in southern Luzon. The project has now been endorsed by all directly affected local government councils, having already received the required endorsement of the 10 barangay (township) councils in January 2015.

AGATA Mining Ventures Inc (AMVI) aims to use results of a large-scale drilling program at Agata Nickel Laterite Project in Mindanao to increase the confidence level of existing nickel laterite resources and potentially expand the size of the deposit. An updated resource model is expected to be completed during the current quarter.

Metals Exploration has experienced another unexpected delay in getting its Runruno Gold-Molybdenum Project in the Philippines into production with the company now awaiting a water discharge permit.

Agata Mining Ventures Inc (AMVI) completed four shipments of nickel ore in the month of July for gross proceeds of US$3.29 million from the Agata Nickel Laterite Project in northern Mindanao, the Philippines.

Medusa Mining has met its production guidance for the year to the end of June at the Co-O Gold Project in northeast Mindanao, the Philippines. Output from the underground mine in the 12 months was 98,539 ounces, which was well within the guidance for between 95,000 and 100,000 ounces.

Borneo Resource Investments has commenced discussions on the possible acquisition of an existing gold mining operation in the province of Viscayas. A 2012 geological report on the sizeable property has estimated remaining proven gold reserves of 87,000 ounces and inferred reserves of 1.7 million ounces.

Agata Mining Ventures Inc (AMVI) completed one shipment of higher nickel grade saprolite ore during June 2015 for gross proceeds of US$1.83 million from the Agata nickel laterite project located in northern Mindanao, the Philippines. AMVI is a joint venture company in which TVI Pacific’s Philippine affiliate TVIRD holds a 60% interest and is the operator, and Mindoro Resources holds 40%.

Following Glencore plc’s disposal of its shares in Indophil Resources NL, a subsidiary of Glencore has executed a share sale agreement with an affiliate of Indophil for the sale of its entire remaining interest in the Tampakan Copper-Gold Project in Mindanao.

Apex Mining Company is acquiring a mining firm with copper-gold assets in Benguet. Apex has signed agreements for acquisition of 98% of the outstanding capital stock of Itogon Suyoc Resources Inc (ISRI), a company with mining claims and a mill and production facilities in Sangilo, Itogon.

ECR Minerals plc has received positive results from diamond drilling and trenching at the Itogon epithermal gold project, northern Philippines. The results indicate the potential for an extensive supergene enriched oxide gold resource from surface in the main prospect area at Itogon.
The drilling was completed in April 2015 and comprised six diamond drill holes totalling 808 metres.