The Philippines has lifted the nationwide ban on open-pit mining, reversing an order put in place in 2017 by late and former Environment Secretary Regina Paz Lopez to “protect the environment”.
Environment Undersecretary for Enforcement, Mining, and Muslim Affairs Jim Sampulna said Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu already signed the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Administrative Order (DAO) 2021-40.
The new DAO 2021-40 formally repealed DAO 2017-10, which Lopez put in place in 2017 and described open-pit mines as “perpetual liabilities” for the Philippine government.
DAO 2017-10 further said that open-pit mines cause “adverse impacts to the environment, particularly due to the generation of acidic and/or heavy metal-laden water, erosion of mine waste dumps and/or vulnerability of tailings dams to geological hazards."
This was contradicted by the earlier draft of DAO 2021-40, which said “open-pit mining method is a globally-accepted method of mining, considered to be the most feasible option for mining near-surface or shallow ore deposits”.
"To revitalize the mining industry and usher in significant economic benefits to the country by providing raw materials for the construction and development of other industries and by increasing employment opportunities in rural areas where there are mining activities thereby stimulating countryside development,” the DAO said.
“There are best-practice control strategies and technologies that can help avoid or manage the negative impacts of open-pit mining,” it added.
Business Bulletin learned that the DENR decided to revise a draft DAO to allay potential environmental concerns that will be raised against the controversial policy issuance.
Sampulna said it was Cimatu himself who decided to hold the issuance of the DAO for further revision.
“The Secretary wants stricter regulation and implementation of the policy. He wants to make sure that the open-pit mining method, when allowed, is free from accident and will ensure the safety of the environment,” Sampulna said.
When asked for comments on the forthcoming release of the new DAO, Chamber of Mines of the Philippines (COMP) Spokesperson Rocky Dimaculangan only said “we have been hoping for it.” COMP is an organization of some of the country's largest mining operations.
For his part, Green Thumb Coalition convener and Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM) National Coordinator Jaybee Garganera said such a decision is “a cruel Christmas gift from DENR and a truly ironic act of cowardice and betrayal from DENR Secretary Cimatu and President Duterte.”
“At this time when climate change brings devastating typhoons such as Odette, lifting the ban on open pit mining is a short-sighted and misplaced development priority of the government. Once again, the Duterte regime puts more premium to its flawed economic agenda categorizing destructive mining as an ‘essential industry’ as part of the pandemic recovery,” Garganera told Business Bulletin.
“This is simply not true, historically or statistically. ATM will continue to resist the efforts of this government to plunder our remaining forests and natural resources. We will support affected communities and local governments who continue to oppose mining,” he added.
He also said that this development should be “an eye-opener for all environmentalists to be more pro-active in engaging in the 2022 elections.”