The provincial board of Oriental Mindoro has passed a resolution that extends the province’s mining moratorium for another 25 years beginning in 2027.
Under the moratorium, large-scale mining in the province will be banned for 25 years, while small-scale mining will be banned for 15 years.
The extension of the moratorium was authored by outgoing Vice Gov. Antonio Perez Jr. and was passed on its final reading on June 9.
Fr. Edwin Gariguez of the Apostolic Vicariate of Calapan lauded the moratorium, saying that it is the result of the outcry of the locals of Mindoro against mining.
According to Norwegian-based Intex Resources ASA, the 11,315-hectare mountainous hectare in the central part of Mindoro Island in the towns of Victoria and Sablayan are rich in nickel and cobalt.
Intex Resources ASA was supposed to explore the land area in Oriental Mindoro through the Mindoro Nickel Project before its permits were canceled by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in 2017.
The mining moratorium, under Provincial Ordinance No. 01-2022, was first passed in 2022.
