Uncertainty still hounds country’s mining industry
When it comes to mining sector, President Rodrigo Duterte is more apathetic. One day, he likes it, the next day he doesn't.
A few weeks after he met with some of the country's biggest miners and recognized their existence, Duterte was recently quoted saying that the extraction process during an open-pit mining method is a dangerous environmental activity and that he is keen to keeping the ban imposed on it.
Reacting to this, Chamber of Mines of the Philippines (COMP) Chairman Gerard H. Brimo said the reality is miners don't have much choice in terms of the method that they employ in extracting minerals from their sites.
He said that in the Philippines, most ore deposits for copper and nickel are near the surface of the earth and the only way to extract them is through open-pit mining.
But he was quick to add that there are a lot of mining companies in the Philippines that have already been rehabilitated.
"We like to invite the President to come and see some of the older mines that has been rehabilitated. We knew he has flown to some of the newer mines like in Surigao that has not been rehabilitated yet," Brimo told reporters at the sidelines of Philippine Mining Conference being held in Manila.
"There are very good examples in the country that are surface mines, part of which have been rehabilitated. We will be delighted to visit some of those mines," he added.
For his part, COMP Executive Director Ronald Recidoro said the industry is willing to work with the government in terms of mining regulations, a commitment that also applies to the utilization of the highly scrutinized open-pit mining method.
"Let us just make sure it is done to the best and highest standards," he added.
To be exact, Duterte said he is now studying with Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu the "eventual closing of open-pit mining" in the country but at the same time, he said will give mining companies "enough elbow room for eventual change in the modality of getting what's inside the bowels of the earth".