Small-scale mines under Minahang Bayan contracts will soon be adhering to stricter policies on the disposal of their residual stockpiles.
The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) has issued an order mandating the monitoring of undisposed residual stockpiles outside mining sites, as reported in a Manila Bulletin article.
This is part of the efforts to improve regulation of small-scale mining operations in the country.
The order was implemented through MGB’s Department Administrative Order 2019-19 (DAO 2019-19), which aims to fast-track the environmental restoration both during and after mining operations by the Minahang Bayan.
An Environmental Management Plan (EMP) will also be required from small-scale miners, where it will include the miners’ environmental management objectives and their commitment to protect and rehabilitate the affected area.
There will also be multi-step campaigns to increase the regulation of small-scale mining in the entire industry.
“We understand the negative view of mining, but we want the public to know that mining is not the same as it was before the Mining Act of 1995,” MGB Director Wilfredo G. Moncano was quoted in a Manila Bulletin report.
