One of the oldest nickel mining companies in Surigao – Taganito Mining Corporation – operates in the mountains of Claver, Surigao del Norte, as can be seen in in the background in this photograph taken Monday (20 February 2017). The subsidiary of Nickel Asia Corporation has been in business for decades, causing the water bodies nearby to turn rusty-red with laterites. It is not among the 14 erring mining firms in the Caraga Region ordered closed by Environment Secretary Gina Lopez as it is reportedly among those who passed the audit. MindaNews photo by Roel N. Catoto
