The Department of Environmental and Natural Resources (DENR) will respect the outcome of South Cotabato’s public consultations on the proposed lifting of the provincial ban on open-pit mining.
DENR officer-in-charge Jim Sampulna said in a report by The Philippine Star that the agency would take into account the outcome of the public hearings called by the provincial board regarding the proposed amendments to the provincial ban on open-pit mining.
Sampulna said that the general good of the residents of South Cotabato would be prioritized.
The DENR’s acting chief was invited to a multi-sectoral consultation on February 24 to provide technical information which is seen to help the board members decide whether to lift or retain South Cotabato’s own open-pit mining ban.
In December 2021, former Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu lifted the open-pit mining ban for copper, gold, and complex ores in the country, which elated the indigenous communities and leaders of business and labor sectors in Koronadal City – South Cotabato’s capital
Sampulna is hopeful that the DENR has helped local officials reach a better appreciation of the pros and cons of mining projects, and that the board members would reach an informed decision on their votes.
Tampakan town, which neighbors Koronadal, is home to around €5.8 billion (around Php 330 million) worth of copper deposits, based on the estimates of local and foreign geologists and mining engineers.
