The Mining Industry Coordinating Council (MICC) has recommended the lifting of the open-pit mine suspension order after its technical working group (TWG) reviewed its study on its legalities in the country, said MICC co-chairman and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Roy Cimatu.
Cimatu said the TWG of the MICC endorsed that the laws and regulations governing the mining method will be “strictly enforced” by his ministry, adding that via the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, the DENR should keep an eye out and act on the issues involving the expansion of 24 mining areas covered by mineral production sharing agreements (MPSAs), according to the Business Mirror.
“In the 28th MICC meeting held on October 24 wherein a quorum was acting and present throughout, [the] majority of the MICC members voted to recommend a change in the policy of the DENR with regard to Department Administrative Order [DAO] 2017-10, particularly, that the DENR lift the ban on open-pit mining provided that mining laws are strictly enforced,” the MICC said on Tuesday.
The mining interagency is also expecting the review of the first batch of the 26 mines either closed or banned by ex-DENR Chief Regina Paz Lopez by January next year, meanwhile, the final review is expected to be released in March.
MICC Chairman Carlos G. Dominguez, who is also acting as undersecretary of the Department of Finance, added that they also agreed to start another review in 2019 and succeeding ones every two years, that are in line with the MICC mandate under Executive Order (EO) 79 with regards to all mining operations in the country.
Last April, DENR issued DAO 2017-10, a suspension order on all miners that use the open-pit method for extractive activities.
Open-pit mining is a popular mining means to extricate copper, gold, silver, and complex ones.
In August, the MICC also tasked its TWGs on economic concerns and on environmental protection and legislation to review and formulate the interagency’s policy recommendations on the controversial extractive method.
Furthermore, the MICC earlier said it will tap the Development Academy of the Philippines to help them on the implementation and management of the fact-finding and science-based review process on mining operations.
Earlier this month, the Palace was seen to have lifted the ban on publicly-listed mining firm Lepanto Consolidated Mining Co., the first of 28 suspended miners, following its appeal to President Duterte on getting a resolution about its suspension order it received from the DENR in February.
In a report by the Manila Bulletin, at least 27 mining companies became hopeful to get a favorable decision from the government.
Of the 28 firms, wherein 13 motioned for reconsideration with the DENR and 15 appealed to the Office of the President (OP), including Lepanto.
Lepanto operates copper-gold mining activities in Benguet in northern Luzon.
