Firms sign responsible mining treaty
Some 30 mining firms signed a treaty with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), committing to responsible minerals development in the Philippines and to help correct the negative perception of the public on their sector.
The Chamber of Mines of the Philippines (COMP), through its member-companies, recently adopted the Baguio Declaration, which serves as their response to the challenges posed by Environment Chief Roy Cimatu during his speech at 64th Annual National Mine Safety and Safety Conference (ANMSEC) last month.
The COMP, the DENR, and as much as 30 mining companies finally forged the Baguio Declaration.
At ANMSEC, Cimatu gave the sector a chance to redeem itself for failing the country and the people for being associated with environment degradation, social injustice, corporate greed, and utter irresponsibility.
He told the miners that responsible mining, as how President Rodrigo Duterte intends to see it, must be people-oriented and must provide decent jobs; it must protect and enhance the environment; it must not run over the rights and welfare of Indigenous people; it must contribute its fair share to national income; and lastly, it must transform itself to a world-class industry.
COMP Chairman Gerard Brimo said the Baguio Declaration puts in "black and white" the key principles that many members of the Chamber have already incorporated in their operations.
"This is not a difficult commitment to make as most of us are already practicing these principles," COMP Vice Chair Jose Leviste also said.
"Our most strident critics will not be silenced by what we are about to accomplish, nor will this declaration change their minds about us. But we are not doing this for them. We are doing this because this is what the members of the Chamber — as contractors of the State and trustees of the Filipino people — are all about: Responsible mining, responsible citizenship," he further said.
Cimatu, on the other hand, said that he looks forward to the day that Filipinos will be models on world-class mining operations not only for Asia but worldwide.
"Filipinos are good students. Give them some time, they can be better than the teacher," Cimatu said during his speech at the signing ceremony.
The Declaration has five main elements, which focuses on the benefits and welfare of the mining communities; on the ecological and environmental responsibilities of mining operations; on the fair and proper management of the resources found within the ancestral lands and domains of our country’s Indigenous Peoples; on the impact of the Minerals Industry on the Philippine economy; and importance of adherence to laws and regulations and the adoption of the most advanced technologies and best practices in all operations.
“Through this Declaration, we are elevating the principles of responsible and sustainable mining by institutionalizing them as principles of the Chamber itself,” Brimo, who is also the president of Nickel Asia Corp, further said.
Meanwhile, COMP will also adopt the Towards Sustainable Mining® (TSM®) initiative, a mining sustainability standard developed by the Mining Association of Canada (MAC).
This is the first time that TSM has been adopted by a mining association in Southeast Asia.
COMP is also the fourth national mining association outside of Canada to adopt TSM in the span of less than two years, underscoring the program’s growing global presence. The national mining associations of Finland (FinnMin), Argentina (Cámara Argentina de Empresarios Mineros), and Botswana (Botswana Chamber of Mines) are currently implementing TSM.
Implementation of the program is mandatory for all MAC members’ Canadian operations, but many voluntarily apply it to their international sites.
MAC freely shares TSM with other countries seeking tools to improve the environmental and social performance of their mining industries, including engagement with civil society and enhanced transparency and accountability.