MICC seeks budget to start review of mining firms

The interagency Mining Industry Coordinating Council’s (MICC) review on the 26 mining sites ordered closed or suspended by the previous leadership of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is once again facing delays due to funding problems.

In an interview, Finance Undersecretary Bayani Agabin, who is a member of the MICC technical working group, said the council may be able to start the assessment of the 26 mining sites by the second week of January next year, later than what the MICC originally estimated.

During its meeting last Oct. 24, the MICC said it expected to release the preliminary results of the review of the mining sites by January 2018, and the final report, by March.

“(It’s) because the MICC doesn’t have a fixed budget, and under EO (Executive Order) 79, each agency there is supposed to shell out. They were scrounging around and there were only two volunteers--the DOF and the DENR--and so we have to scrounge also for funds. And in government, these things take time—looking for funds and putting it there,” Agabin said.

According to the DOF official, the DENR was able to commit P10 million for the review, while the DOF will provide another P15 million. He said the total amount of P25 million would be enough to finish the MICC’s review.

Despite the delay, Agabin assured the review is one step closer to commencing as the technical working group has already determined the members of the five technical review teams who will look into the environmental, economic, social, legal and technical aspects of the mining operations.

“We have the pool of experts already, the contracts are ready for signing. It’s a question of funds. The terms of reference are ready,” Agabin said.

The DOF undersecretary said the teams would be in charge of going over documents and doing site visits for the review.

Agabin had said before the five technical review teams would be clustered based on the types of minerals being extracted and their locations.

Under Executive Order 79, the MICC is tasked to conduct multistakeholder reviews and advise the DENR on the performance of existing mining operations, in consultation with local government units.

In line with this, the members of the MICC have decided to conduct reviews on mining firms once every two years, starting with the 26 mines ordered closed or suspended by former environment secretary Regina Lopez.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said the next cycle, which will involve a new set to mines, would start in 2019.

Last February, former DENR chief Regine Lopez ordered the closure of 26 mining firms and the suspension of five others. She also ordered the cancellation of 75 mineral production sharing agreements.

In April 27, she also issued Department Administrative Order 2017-10 imposing a ban on the open pit method of extraction for copper, gold, silver and complex ores.