Members of the Police Commissioned Officers (PCO) held discussions with the Mines and Geosciences Bureau Region 7 (MGB-7) regarding Philippine Mining Laws to aid enforcement.
The said discussion is part of the Investigation Officers Basic Course for PCO where at least 50 members from the Police Regional Office-7, National Support Units, and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) were given refresher courses.
Government policies on mining and quarrying were given utmost importance in the discussion as well as the need of a properly regulated mining industry with a well-enforced Republic Act No. 7942 also known as the Philippine Mining Act.
Engr. Edgardo M. Oporto of the Mine Management Division and Maria Christie Z. Codilla, Information Officer of MGB-7, lead the re-education of police forces with the different permits issued to any person or corporation from exploration stage up to mineral processing and transformation.
Participating officers were also reintroduced to prohibited areas for mining including those under the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Act such as military and other government reservations, historical sites, within a one-kilometer distance from bridges and highways, waterways, government infrastructure projects, among others.
Environmental Laws, Small-Scale Mining Law, Clean Air Act, Water Code of the Philippines, Indigenous Peoples Rights Act, the Local Government Code of the Philippines, and Executive Order 79 were also discussed.
The discussion organized by MGB-7 held on February 1 aims to strengthen the knowledge of Central Visayas’ authorities about mining laws in order to help control mineral theft and exploitation of mineral resources in the region.
