By Madelaine B. Miraflor To reiterate President Rodrigo Duterte's distaste over open-pit mine operations, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said he will try to meet with all the country's 41 metallic mine operators next week, including those that were deemed compliant of environmental laws. While the upcoming total closure of Boracay Island takes up a lot of his time, Cimatu said he will make time to meet mining companies to tell them that while he already saw the rehabilitation efforts of some firms, he can't do anything about Duterte's perception towards open-pit mine method. Before flying to China on Monday, Duterte said he would extend the ban on open-pit mine if mining firms will fail to conduct progressive rehabilitation and plant trees. "I have a lot of things to do but that's okay. I might talk to them next week. I will call all of them, the 41, even the ones that are compliant," Cimatu told repoters on Wednesday. To recall, former Environment Secretary Regina Paz Lopez, as part of his crusade against illegal mining, earlier issued closure and suspension orders to 26 of the 41 operating mines in the country. Cimatu said that he wants to tell the miners that the "President really wants to close down all open-pit mines." When sought for comments, Chamber of Mines of the Philippines (COMP) Executive Director Ronald Recidoro declined to reply. COMP comprised some of the biggest miners in the country. Imposed by Lopez, it is the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Administrative Order 2017-10 that prohibits the open-pit mining method for copper, gold, silver and/or complex ores. Cimatu, even if he has the power to repeal the order himself, said it's now up to the President whether he will keep the order or not. Meanwhile, the DENR chief is scheduled to go to Caraga soon to check out the illegal mining and logging operations in the region. As of now, there are about 26 operating mines in Caraga region. This includes Marcventures Mining and Development Corporation (MMDC), a subsidiary of listed firm Marcventures Holdings, Inc. (MARC). Out of all the companies that were ordered close and suspended by Lopez, 14 are in the Caraga region. Right now, the DENR is reviewing the appeals made by certain companies regarding the closure and suspension orders. The chief declined to go into details but said that "partial" results show several mines will certainly be closed down and suspended. He also said that most operating mines breached tree-cutting laws, in contrary to initial findings that led to the suspension and closure orders among majority of the local mines for causing siltation in water bodies.