Richard Fifer

COCLESITO AND ATLANTIC AREA RESIDENTS DECLARE THEIR SUPPORT

They agree with the region’s sustainable mining development

March 2011, Panama.

Over a thousand residents from the Districts of Donoso in Colon and La Pintada in Cocle communities, met on Sunday, March 12 at Casa del Pueblo in Coclesito. A massive rally organized by the Committee for the Atlantic Development, was preceded by a march through Coclesito.

The purpose of this big community’s meeting was to show their support to the social and infrastructure development that Petaquilla Gold S.A. is performing in the entire mining concession geographic area. They also asked the National Government that members of their communities take that message to the National Dialogue regarding mining that will take place soon.

Residents of Cascajal, Sardina, Coclesito, Molejón and other surrounding communities attended the event massively. The Governor Pedro Rios, the Donoso and La Pintada District mayors, members of the Municipal Counsel of Penonome and representatives from Petaquilla Gold S.A, Petaquilla Foundation and Minera Panama, the mining companies, attended the event.

The region is formed by the districts of Donoso, north of Penonomé, Calovébora and Santa Catalina, has fertile lands, vast mineral resources, rivers and healthy working people.

Coclesito began in the 70’s as a pilot town on the other side of the central mountain range to develop the virgin side of the Atlantic. This was General Omar Torrijos idea, who saw a lot of untapped potential in the region. In recognition of this, the community was officially named San Jose del General.  Today its development in remarkable in road improvement, schools, hospital, clinics, sustainable development farms and contribution to education.

Panama, April, 2011

The open sky mine in Donoso, Colon, produces each month nearly eight thousand ounces of gold and silver, a little over a year after initiating the commercial stage, commented the mining company Petaquilla Gold S.A executives.

Rodrigo Esquivel Klein, the company’s president, announced that this year they want to increase the production to 11 thousand ounces of gold, which would represent an approximate income of 100 million dollars, about 24 million more than in 2010.

This week, President Ricardo Martinelli, along with the vice president Juan Carlos Varela, visited the Project in Cerro Morejon and learned about the company’s progress and process. The company began extraction and selling gold on January 8, 2010.

The ounce of Troy gold is currently priced in 1,461 dollars in the international market. Petaquilla Gold practices what is known as responsible mining that is the reason why they are very committed with environment and biodiversity preservation.

Among their permanent and mandatory plans, they include reforesting and social assistance. They have a general concession of one thousand acres, but the gold extracting process is focused only in 40 and they have plans to reforest around 1,500 acres in different areas of the country.

Martinelli’s and Varela’s visit included a brief inspection to the Cobre Panama Project, which will be developed by another company, Minera Panama, S.A. 10 minutes away from Petaquilla Gold, S.A. They need to execute an additional millionaire community investment first.

The Duke receives acknowledgement from Parita

The warm environment that characterizes the Parita district, maybe sprinkled by the dusty air that usually comes from Sarigua’s National Park, was the stage to a ceremony filled with tradition, folklore and the legacy the Spaniards left during the colony.

Castilla del Oro Foundation’s President, the Duke of Veraguas, Cristobal Colon de Carvajal, was in this picturesque Herreran community, and was honored with the acknowledgement and was able to admire the typical show, and the indigenous dancing shows, which helped remember colonial times.

Approximately ten mayors from Herrera, Los Santos and Veraguas’ Provinces got together in this cultural event, in a reciprocity act, since months before a Panamanian delegation visited Spain to learn about the rural tourism experience, with the idea of duplicating it in the country’s central provinces.

This was a visit that included a Mass at a church whose facade preserves vestiges from a colonial past, like the layout of the community’s main square

They were the same mayor who visited Spain in May to learn about the experience of rural tourism, a field in which the Iberian country is a world leader.

The Azuero Region, where Parita is located, is known to be one of the areas in which the Spanish heritage is more deeply rooted.

Castilla del Oro Foundation’s goal is to rescue this rich past, multiply it and offer it as a tourist attraction in rural communities.

The aim is that these communities participate in tourism projects, with the mission of receiving the economic benefit that it produces.

Its purpose, to promote the sustainable development of rural communities in the central region, and thus, produce booms and welfare to its people, for which it will promote projects and provide structures to make this region a leading cultural tourism destination.

Castilla del Oro Foundation, encouraged by entrepreneur Richard Fifer Carles aims to promote the sustainable development of these region in Panama in order to generate wealth and prosperity to its inhabitants, now and in the future. To do this, he’ll turn this region into a first class cultural tourism destination, and will provide the necessary infrastructure to achieve it.

With this first objective of recovering this region into the international tourist map, the entity will promote “The Castilla del Oro” as a place where visitors can explore the history and steps of the adventurers of the XVI century and become the new XXI century discoverers. In this region waits an earthly paradise, a land where jungle, history and beach embrace each other; a bastion of civilization and culture where time moves slowly and remains unshakable over time.

The entity will recover the historical memory of this region, placing value on all the popular traditions, both First Nations and Spanish, from music and dancing, to crafts, costumes, religious rites, and in general, all the folklore and character that have shaped the idiosyncrasy of this people.

On the other hand, it will promote a series of infrastructures such as: CONVENTION CENTER, HOTELS, THEME PARKS, MOTELS, among others, to improve the quality of stay for tourists as well as the daily lives of its inhabitants.

Capital Newspaper

July 4-10  2011 No548

Section: Mundo Capital

Castilla de Oro Foundation boosts rural tourism

Provincial and municipal authorities from five provinces of the interior, whose regions in the sixteenth century were part of what became known as “Castilla del Oro”, when Christopher Columbus arrived in the isthmus of Panama, made a tour to visit various regions of Spain that have great potential in rural tourism, to learn from them and apply this knowledge in our country.

The tour made to the Autonomous regions of Extremadura and Andalusia was organized by the “Castilla del Oro in Panama” Foundation with the support ofthe Tourism Authority of Panama (ATP)

POULTRY WAREHOUSE

POULTRY FATENNING PROJECT – PRODUCTION MODULE

DATE: Friday, June 17th  2011

PLACE: Mr. Casiano Mora’s poultry warehouse

LOCATION: Villa del Carmen

PARISH: Llano Grande

DISTRICT: La Pintada

PROVINCE: Coclé

DETAIL: Mr. Casiano Mora’s project began on Thursday, May 5th with the delivery of chicks, food, antibiotics and vitamins, since he already had the fixed assets (warehouse, feeding and drinking area), products that had been donated by the Petaquilla Foundation. This producer already has experience with poultry because he owned several flocks monitored by the Petaquilla Foundation staff, that has covered the family’s expenses when sold.

PARTICIPANTS:

-          Mr. Casiano Mora,  owner of the poultry warehouse

RICE PLOT

RICE PUDDLING – PRODUCTION MODULES

DATE: Friday, June 17th 2011

PLACE: Mr. Casiano Mora rice plot

LOCATION: Villa del Carmen

PARISH: Llano Grande

DISTRICT: La Pintada

PROVINCE: Coclé

DETAIL: The rice puddling Project was implemented because of the sustainable potential both for farming and financial solvency.

This picture shows rice in its stripping process followed by harvesting. (Partial view of the plot)

PARTICIPANTS:

-          Producer Casiano Mora – at the rice puddling plot.

RICE HARVEST

RICE IN PUDDLING – PRODUCTION MODULES

DATE: Friday, July 1st 2011

PLACE: Mr. Casiano Mora’s plot

LOCATION: Villa del Carmen

PARISH: Llano Grande

DISTRICT: La Pintada

PROVINCE: Coclé

DETAIL: Rice crop in a 1000 square foot plot with a 10 quintals production, property of Mr. Casiano Mora.

PARTICIPANTS:

-          Mr. Casiano Mora and family during rice crop.

-         

PIG FATENNING

PIG FATENNING PROJECT – PRODUCTION MODULES

DATE: Friday, June 17th 2011

PLACE: Producer’s residence

LOCATION: Nuevo San José

PARISH: San José del General

DISTRICT: Donoso

PROVINCE: Colón

DETAIL: Young Ms. Fuentes is a driven person who began a swine production program (fattening pigs) by purchasing two piglets, Petaquilla Foundation is supporting with food, vitamins, antibiotics and technical assistance until the culmination of her project, with the objective of her expanding her business and making it self sufficient.

PARTICIPANTS:

-          Nizen Fuentes project’s beneficiary.

Amongst the many activities promoted by the Petaquilla Gold Company through its Petaquilla Foundation, we have the Training of Community leader that seeks to show the locals how to exploit their knowledge for the benefit of their own communities.

This training is provided by professionals who want to pass on their knowledge to these people, so that in turn, they can pass it on to the rest of people of their communities.

Seminars, lectures and training sessions are held year round in communities located within a 50 km radius pf the company. The intention is for the communities to have a partner that will help them organize and communicate their most pressing needs.

Aside from engaging in neat and clean mining, Petaquilla Gold intends to invest resources in social works. This wish has been turned into action from the very beginning by Richard Fifer Carles, the Company’s creator. As Fifer Carles has said over and over again, the company aims to maintain continuous contact with the thousands of people that live in the communities surrounding the mining Project.

Worth mentioning is the fact that the company’s social responsibility programs are aimed at achieving, lifting these people and their families from extreme poverty, malnutrition and ignorance.

Petaquilla Foundation is not only committed to its work of exploiting mineral resources, but also with the development of these communities as a way of paying back the support that everyone has given the Company.

Petaquilla Foundation is concerned with the promotion of a sustainable development culture in the area of influence of the Petaquilla mining project, that will impact the rest of the Republic of Panama.

Create and maintain social programs that promote financial Independence for those that participate in them, providing the means necessary for communities to develop and improve their quality of life.

Por Jenny Caballero

Petaquilla Gold, S.A.

On Monday May 16, 2011, the Canadian Agency Clearly Contact with the support of Petaquilla Gold and Richard Fifer, did a double shift of eye exams to the residents of the communities of Coclesito in the District of Donoso, Province of Colon and Villa del Carmen, district of La Pintada, province of Cocle, receiving thousands of people, which included adults, third age and children. They performed the corresponding eye exams to determine the need of lenses, that for various medical reasons and due to the necessity of special medical help, these compatriots had not been able to receive. The Canadian specialist, accompanied by the personal of the Foundation Petaquilla, as well as the Petaquilla Company, shared pleasantly with the inhabitants and not even the police force escaped from their respective check up and lenses provision. The international corporation, brings towns closer and this is an example of the corporation Norte-Sur, in which the inhabitants of the mentioned communities were the primarily beneficiaries because they work close by the Molejon mining project developed by Petaquilla Gold. Leaders of the community such as Cecilia Martinez and others also contributed their grain of sand in this activity, in which a small toast was offered to all the participants.

The Canadian Specialist accompanied by personal of the Petaquilla Foundation.

WITH IMPORTANT ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY MEASURES

Petaquilla begins the construction of the production plant

De 17 de agosto de 2011

(Left) Construction work and concrete pouring of the waiting area for the separation and reutilization of water at the Molejon site, located in the provinces of Colon and Cocle.  (Right) Metallic tanks for the lixiviation process or separation of the gold from the rock.  To date (Aug.-07) about three thousand cubic meters of high-strength concrete have been poured.

Panama, August 31^st, 2007.

After several years of evaluation, plan and design, the construction of the Gold Plant of Molejon, for the Petaquilla mining site has begun; one of the biggest gold projects of Central America, which will undoubtedly stimulate the economy of the areas of Colon and Cocle.  One of the most important works of the construction phase of this plant was done recently; it consisted of the pouring of 5,450 cubic meters of concrete.

“To accomplish this goal we had CEMEX’s backup, who has the responsibility of pouring a minimum of 5,000 cubic meters of concrete for five months, an operation only compared to the works being done by the Panama Canal Authority” said engineer Lydia de Carrizo, general manager of Petaquilla Gold.

The most complex work was the pouring of 1,450 cubic meters of cement, which involved 15,151 bags of concrete, making this the largest concrete pouring ever done in a rural area of Panama.  This was a monolithic or consistent pouring, made throughout a 55-hour continuous shift, which involved the use of additives that allowed the setting or hardening of the concrete at the indicated time.

According to Rafael Eysseric, responsible of the planning and plant designer for the mining company, the logistic limitations of this operation were overcome because of the coordination between the Production Plant, Petaquilla and the concrete factory, and this will continue as long as the operation needs it.  “Within the process of the construction of the mining site there will be smaller concrete pourings, but combined they can increase the concrete demand of the plant to an additional 3,500 cubic meters” added Eysseric.

De 17 de agosto de 2011

Erosion control and ground preservation. Contour-planted rattan belts.

Panama, August 31^st, 2007.

Although the proposed development of the project at the mining site Petaquilla has not yet begun (since it is currently under the exploration phase) the company has undertaken a job previous to the phases of exploitation, by compensating, preventing and mitigating the environment; restoring the ecosystems that will be impacted by the works that will be done when the gold production begins in Molejon, located in the provinces of Colon and Cocle.

Chiara Ramos, manager of the environment and hydrology department stated that “from the beginning of the environmental program in April 2006 through July 2007, we have invested around 915 thousand dollars, identifying and meticulously selecting the impact associated with the development of the mine, which have been evaluated and forecasted in areas according to their potential severity, and in accordance with the mine’s expected lifespan of more than 20 years”.

The significant advances in terms of these environmental measures by project include: reforestation, solid waste management, environmental training given to scholars who are part of the “environmental scholarship program” and who participate within the Corporate Social Responsibility Program (RSE for its Spanish name).  Also, tree planting efforts are being done, there are four tree nurseries to provide for the reforestation programs, erosion control and slopes stabilization along the access roads of the project and impacted areas like the Nazareth-Molejon road, Villa del Carmen circle, Farallon circle, and the Llano Grande-Coclesito road, which count with an approved environmental impact study.  These relief measures give a special importance to the protection and preservation of surface water sources

Sunday, September 16th 2007

La Estrella

The largest mining plan in Central America has to take on environmental protection projects appropriate to their size.

Petaquilla Mining Company has implemented a new model of sustainable development, which includes the implementation of the mitigation, prevention, compensation an environmental education work according to national standards and in strict adherence to the law.

Engineer Chiara Ramos, manager of the Environment and Hydrology Department, said that 9 thousand dollars had been invested and this was due to the impact associated to the development of the mine. The engineer added that the basic principle of this activity is to conduct mining activities within a framework that respects the environment.

In regard to nature conservation, the mining company has planted more than 2 thousand trees in the five areas that comprise the Project.

The Project is also considering teaching proper handling and recycling of solid waste, re-vegetation and seeding for erosion control and stabilization of cut and fill slopes along the access roads to the mining Project and the area of influence in Llano Grande-Coclesito road, Villa del Carmen beltway and the Nazareth-Molejon road.