Following closely his most recent handling of large-scale mines last year, Environment Chief Roy A. Cimatu prepared a separate treatment for the crackdown of illegal small-scale miners, which he earlier ordered to shut down for violating environmental laws.
A fast-track action in reviewing mining applications submitted to the Minahang Bayan is also a priority for the ex-General, ensuring a more organized and restricted process in allowing small-scale miners to conduct activities in their area of choice.
Currently, the agency has 65 pending applications ( in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) alone, wherein illegal small mines are rampant, leading to environmental degradation in some areas.
However, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, the Environment Department’s mines regulating unit, said that no area has been declared by the Minahang Bayan there. Some applications had already been endorsed to the Bureau.
Minahang Bayan requires mining companies to secure its resources and abide the standards ruled by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) prior to formalizing its operations.
“We have to implement the law. I sympathize with these people. What they’re doing is very dangerous so I hope they would be able to find other ways to earn a living other than illegal mining,” Cimatu said during his recent visit in Benguet on Valentine’s Day for the formal induction of the National Task Force on Mining.
The ceremony commenced with Cimatu blasting illegal mine tunnels at the border of the Philippine Military Academy in Baguio City.
The task force is set to begin looking into other mining operations in Benguet, Abra, Mountain Province, and Kalinga in the Cordillera region, as well as in the Cagayan Valley mines in Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, and Quirino.
Source: Inquirer
