Philex Mining Corp. will resume its gold mining operations in Sipalay City and Hinobaan town in southern Negros Occidental within the year, Manuel Pangilinan, its chairman of the board and chief executive officer, said Saturday.

The area is a big source of gold, and opening of the mine will benefit the community in the area, he said.

Philex’s Bulawan operations in southern Negros Occidental began in January 1996 and over its lifetime produced a total of 465,766 equivalent ounces of gold. It was decommissioned in May 1, 2002.

A team from Maynilad Water Services Inc. will be in Bacolod next month to work out with Bacolod City Water District, possible programs that can help improve the water system in the city, Ricky Vargas, Maynilad President and Chief Executive Officer said.

Sharing Maynilad’s best practices and extending technical expertise to BACIWA are components of the twinning agreement signed between the two water utilities last year, Vargas said.

They will also look into the sewerage system of the city, stressing that Maynilad would be happy to work out measures that will address the flooding problem in Bacolod.

The Office of the Deputy Ombudsman for the Military and Other Law Enforcement Offices has re-affirmed the dismissal of criminal complaints filed against newly-promoted Supt. Santiago Rapiz, a school principal and two policemen, as it failed to substantiate the existence of a substantial iota of proof to satisfy probable cause.

Absolved of criminal complaints for violation of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, unlawful arrest, arbitrary detention, perjury and falsification, aside from Rapiz, were Thelma Laguna, principal of the E.B. Magalona National High School, Police Officer 3 Frankie Paciente, and PO1 Randy Azuro.

The filing of complaints against the four respondents stemmed from the arrest of complainant Ace Belonio on July 13, 2005, during a drug buy-bust operation conducted within the high school premises of E.B. Magalona.