Gold miner Lepanto Consolidated Mining Co is set to continue its extractive operations in northern Benguet after the Duterte administration lifted its suspension order.
Lepanto’s mine is the first among the 26 mining firms Gina Lopez banned in her stint as Environment chief until May this year.
The company earlier filed its appeal shortly after Lopez piloted the much-debated open-pit mining ban with President Rodrigo Duterte in February.
The lifting of the moratorium removes future threats of suspension and allows the miner to proceed with its activities.
Last year, Lepanto’s mine area in Benguet was found with “unregistered treatment, storage and disposal facility for the detoxification process for the mill tailings” by a government audit team.
Aside from Lepanto, of the 26 prospective open-pit mines include the $2-billion Pangilinan-led Silangan mine in Surigao del Norte and the $5.9-billion Tampakan project in South Cotabato, which is considered the Philippines’ biggest foreign investment as well as one of the largest gold prospects in the world.
